Oman's Jatinder Singh: I remember telling my wife maybe it was time to retire

Jatinder Singh nearly retired in June 2024. He was suffering from sciatic nerve compression in the spinal cord and the pain was so much worse than the disappointment of not making the Oman squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The flare-ups were so bad that even bending down was a battle. Walking was measured and slow. Playing cricket seemed impossible in these circumstances.

"I remember sitting with my wife and telling her that maybe it was time to retire," Jatinder, now 36 and Oman's captain at the Asia Cup, tells ESPNcricinfo. "I didn't want to be a burden on the team anymore. I felt like I was holding them back."

His wife, Ramandeep Kaur, did not let him quit.

"She told me, 'For the number of years you've given to cricket, this injury is just a small blip. You can't let this one setback define you. Push through it. Once you find your rhythm again, you'll be unstoppable.'" Her words gave him new direction. Instead of retiring hastily, Jatinder decided to make a comeback.

His journey of recovery took him to India. Through his team-mate Suraj Kumar, he found Dr Gaurav Sharma - a sports-science specialist with IPL franchise Gujarat Titans. But what Jatinder thought would be a quick, month-long recovery turned into a painstaking 105-day rehabilitation process in Chandigarh.

"When Gaurav saw me, he told me it was not a short-term thing," Jatinder says. "It was posture-related, and we needed to work on strengthening the smaller muscles so that the shooting pain would not come back."

Jatinder stayed in the suburb of Kharar and travelled to the clinic in Chandigarh for treatment. Evenings were spent in sessions with strength and conditioning coach Jitendra Billa near the Mohali stadium. He was dedicated to this routine for three months.

"It was exhausting, physically and mentally. But help came from all sides," he says with gratitude.

Former India fast bowler Aavishkar Salvi, who was Oman's bowling consultant at the time, arranged for Jatinder to stay closer to the clinic. "Salvi bhai spoke to Baltej Singh [Punjab fast bowler], who offered me his vacant apartment for three months."

After nearly eight weeks, when he could resume light training, Jatinder rang Salvi again. "This time, he connected me to Punjab cricketer Jassi Inter Singh, who helped organise nets and a throw-down specialist for me to be able to resume batting."

For the first time in months, he felt good about playing cricket.

"It was still hard mentally," he says. "When you've been through an injury, your mind replays the pain, and you fear it happening again. But with every net session, every treatment, every day at the gym, I started feeling stronger. That fear slowly went away."

By the end of September last year, Jatinder was back. In October, he was appointed Oman's captain for the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. It felt like a blessing after all the pain he had endured.

"I never played cricket with the aim of becoming captain," he says. "My only passion was to play the game. So, for me, this was part of god's plan. I'm just grateful."

"Gratitude" is a word Jatinder often uses while he tells his story, which started on cement pitches and mud grounds in 2011, when most of Oman's players had full-time jobs and could train only in the evening.

The turning point came when Sri Lankan great Duleep Mendis took over as Oman's coach in 2014, bringing with him semi-professionalism, part-time contracts, and a culture of discipline. Soon enough, Oman had positive results - they won the ACC Cup in 2015 and secured entry to the T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Ireland and Scotland.

"We trained and played in 50-degree heat at home and then had to play in near-freezing conditions abroad," Jatinder says with a smile. The hard work paid off when they beat Ireland at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India.

"That's one of our golden moments," Jatinder says. "The other big moment was climbing from Division 5 up the ladder and securing ODI status in 2018. And then of course, hosting matches at the T20 World Cup in 2021, along with UAE.

"I've seen cricket change in our country. From days when we had no facilities, to today, when we have facilities par with some of the best in the world. What we need are opportunities to improve."

Jatinder works in the administration department of a private company - Khimji & Ramdas, which is owned by the family of Pankaj Khimji, the top boss of Oman Cricket. His days are carefully planned: fitness sessions in the morning, nets in the afternoon, office work, and more training in the evening.

"It's busy, but it keeps me disciplined," he says.

That discipline is being tested again as Oman prepare for their biggest challenge - their first Asia Cup. The team recently completed a D20 domestic tournament in Al-Amerat, providing some match practice before facing Asia's best.

"For us, this Asia Cup is like a World Cup," Jatinder says. "It's a chance to rub shoulders with the giants, to see how they think and prepare.

"I know Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma from the ACC Emerging Cup in Oman last year. We had some great conversations. Abhishek gave us valuable advice about training and told us to back ourselves as a talented group."

Oman's squad is a mix of players from India and Pakistan and is coached by a talismanic Sri Lankan in Mendis. Their bond, he says, is unshakable despite a few tumultuous months, when several regular players were dropped in the wake of a contract crisis that rocked the team.

"For all of us, Oman is the top priority," Jatinder says. "Our team is like a family. We joke around, spend time together, and no one takes anything personally. Most of us live close by in a radius of 25km in Muscat, so we train and socialise together all the time. It makes a big difference."

Family has always been the anchor for Jatinder ever since he moved to Oman as a 10-year-old. His father worked in the Royal Oman Police for decades, rising through the ranks to retire as head of the carpentry department in 2022.

"He wasn't a cricket person at first," Jatinder says with a laugh. "But now he follows every match and even calls me with advice sometimes.

"I'm grateful to every person who helped me, my wife especially. My coaches, my team-mates, even friends who encouraged me when I felt low. Each of them has played a part in this journey. Now, I just want to keep going, to keep making Oman proud."