AmanDesai

Cricket runs in Aman's blood. His father and older brother were always playing, and as a young boy he followed them to every match. Before long he was playing alongside his brother and his friends, all older and bigger than him, and he learned early to adapt quickly, play fearlessly and hold his own.

That grounding took him a long way, fast. He made his debut for Singapore U19 at just 14, at the U19 Asia Cup. In 2017 he captained Singapore U16 to the final of the ACC U16 Premier Cup and made his debut for the Singapore U23 side in the same year, going on to lead Singapore at both U16 and U19 level.

His senior debut came in 2022 against Malaysia, and he announced himself immediately. Aman hit a six off the very first ball he faced in T20 International cricket, a feat he says only a handful of players have achieved. At 20 he struck his maiden T20I half-century with his parents watching from the stands. They had been his backbone through every early morning and late night, and raising his bat in national colours in front of them made every sacrifice worthwhile.

Those sacrifices began at 14. Balancing school with elite cricket meant sprinting to the MRT the moment the final bell rang, heavy kit bag in hand, to catch the 3:37 train to training, commuting home in the evening rush, studying late after dinner and waking at dawn to finish homework. Today the schedule is a full working day followed by national training under the lights from 7:30 to 10pm, especially before international tours. As he puts it, you only play cricket in Singapore if you truly love the game.

In December 2025 Aman captained a young Singapore men's side, mostly under 22, to a SEA Games bronze medal. With a career-best 151 and fifties against World Cup teams such as Italy and Uganda, his goal is to lead Singapore's rise on the international stage, with the dream of one day competing at an ICC World Cup.