There’s a ‘war’ going on between India and Australia. And on the eve of the final battle at Dharamsala, a former Aussie star changed sides and announcing himself as the ‘newest Indian’.
Yes, the news of the second fastest bowler in the world, Shaun Tait finally becoming an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) came as a good news for many Indians. But not many know, or care to know the reason behind such a move.
And the reason is his wife, Mashoom Singha. They got married in 2014, after more than three years of courtship.
Reports claimed that it was in the year 2014 that Tait tied the knot with Mashoom Singha, an Indian model, whom he met in the year 2010 when he played for Rajasthan Royals. After dating for 4 yrs, the couple finally got married.
Shaun Tait got an Indian passport subsequent to getting wed to an Indian. This makes him an overseas citizen of the nation; however, it should be kept in mind that there’s a difference between dual citizenship and the overseas one. The point that needs to be remembered here is that the Indian constitution doesn’t allow a dual citizenship.
As per the constitution of India,
“The Government of India, on application, may register any person as an overseas citizen of India if the person is a spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder registered under section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than two years immediately preceding the presentation of the application.”
The big question that arises in this situation is whether we will get to see Shaun Tait playing for the Indian cricket team in the immediate future.
Well, the answer to the question is NO because as per the rules of ICC, a cricketer can play for another country only after at least four years of playing his last international match. It was in Jan 2016 that Shaun Tait played for Australia for the last time and keeping it in mind, he can represent India in the year 2020 only.
Tait’s fastest speed of bowling has been registered as 161.1 km/h which makes him the second fastest bowler of the world, the first being Shoaib Akhtar with a speed of 161.3 km/h and the third position is acquired by Brett Lee who has the speed of 161.1 km/h.
Watch The Video Here: (The fastest over ever bowled by Shaun Tait)
After entering the world of cricket in the year 2005 for Australia, Tait has suffered injuries a lot which resulted in his inconsistent performances and he was never able to make his place in the team.
The cricketer took the decision of a voluntary retirement in the year 2008 for an uncertain period but he came back to play T20; however, he chose to stay away from first-class cricket matches, as he wanted to focus on T20.
What’s your take on this? Do love Shaun Tait to get into team India soon? Let us know your views in the comments section below.