Amir Jangoo had it all planned in his head. As a teenager, playing for Trinidad & Tobago U17s and U19s, he wished to be in a West Indies kit by the age of 25.
It didn’t quite work out as planned.
If not a cricketer, Jangoo would have been a teacher of geography. He even holds a degree in the subject. But Jangoo did not give up. Now, at 29, he is on his first India tour, living his dream.
“There was a bit of a struggle between those ages,” Jangoo recalls, speaking to Cricbuzz on the sidelines of the ODI series. “But then when I crossed 25, I just told myself, ‘You know what, just enjoy the game. Just be grateful that you’re getting to play for your country, playing first-class cricket’.
By the time he finally broke into the West Indies team in 2024, Jangoo had mentally rewired himself to never give up. He had seen younger players come through and make it to the setup: “And then, I would think to myself, ‘You know what, I think I’m better than these guys. I think I could do better than these guys. I think my ability is better, it’s just I didn’t have the performances in’.”
The lost time had to be made up: once the maroon kit was on, Jangoo did not wait. Batting at six on ODI debut, he carted a 79-ball century.
After a decade on the waitlist, life came fast at Jangoo. In June, he struck a Test double in a world-record partnership at North Sound. It was his third first-class century; all converted to doubles.
A month prior, his runs had shaped T&T’s first-class title, ending a two-decade drought.
Earlier this September, Jangoo was joyfully posing with the CPL trophy in Barbados after a final-winning fifty. And three days later, he touched down in India. But he’s not one to complain.
