Himanshu Sangwan¡¯s name became the talk of the town when the 24-year-old took six scalps and helped Railways to a 10-wicket win over Mumbai team in the Ranji Trophy. His victims included the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw.
The youngster, who is also a Ticket Collector at the station in New Delhi hailed Glenn McGrath for playing a role in his success in what was his debut season.
¡°I take inspiration from Australia legend Glenn McGrath. He is my idol. I learnt a lot from McGrath during my stint at the MRF Pace Foundation. I was there for a short camp in March (2019).?
He used to watch my videos and tell me the areas where I should improve. He is a legend of the game. He told me one thing ¨C ¡®when in trouble, go to the basics¡¯,¡± Sangwan told TOI.
¡°I bowled many deliveries under his (McGrath's) supervision and he was taking notes. After every session, he used to motivate me and tell me technical things. ¡®Stick to the basics and stay patient¡¯ ¨C these are the two things I will always remember from McGrath. Honestly, his guidance is helping me a lot in the Ranji Trophy,¡± HE said.
After bundling out Mumbai, who are 41-time Ranji Trophy champions, for a paltry 114 on Day 1, Railways, thanks to their captain Karn Sharma's unbeaten 112, grabbed a solid 152-run first-innings lead. Then Sangwan took five wickets (5-60), as Mumbai were bundled out for 198 in their second innings at the Wankhede Stadium.
Rahane, who scored 5 runs in the first innings, could manage just 8 in the second. He gave an easy catch to wicketkeeper Nitin Bhille off Sangwan¡¯s delivery. Meanwhile, Shaw, who made 12 in the first innings, was sent back by Sangwan for just 23 in the Mumbai second innings.
Sangwan revealed that he had plans for both Shaw and Rahane.
¡°We had a team meeting head of the Mumbai match. Our coach said we are not underdogs. We also have good batsmen and bowlers in the team.
?He said don¡¯t think who is on strike. Whether it is Rahane or Shaw, go and bowl in the right areas. We bowled in the right areas and we got the success against a top team like Mumbai. It was a magnificent feeling to beat a top team and that too in their own den,¡± Sangwan said.
¡°I knew Prithvi is an attacking player. He will always look to attack. So I didn¡¯t panic and bowled in some specific areas, with change of pace. This worked well against Prithvi. But when Rahane came to the crease, the thought of him being one of the best Test batsmen in the world crossed my mind. He is India¡¯s No. 3 and vice captain of the Indian Test team. I bowled in the right areas and wanted him to play the outside-off- stump deliveries. That¡¯s how I got him. I had plans for both Rahane and Prithvi,¡± the 24-year-old fast bowler said.
¡°My coach Harvinder Singh sir and captain Karn Sharma have helped me a lot. They sit and make plans and those plans have worked well in our favour. In my opinion, our bowling attack is capable of doing wonders against top teams. Our matches against Mumbai and UP are examples of this. I am getting a lot of support from my fellow pacer T Pradeep. He is a talented bowler,¡± Sangwan told TimesofIndia.com.
Sangwan is on a roll in his debut Ranji Trophy tournament. Before taking six wickets against Mumbai, his third Ranji match, the medium pacer claimed four wickets against Uttar Pradesh and then two wickets against Saurashtra. In total, the youngster has 12 wickets in three matches so far in the tournament.
¡°I performed well last year in the Under-23 tournament (CK Nayudu Trophy), where I claimed 37 wickets in seven matches. Due to that, I got a chance in the Ranji Trophy this year. I am enjoying my bowling a lot. When I made my debut, I didn¡¯t know I will take four wickets and that too against a team like Uttar Pradesh. I took two wickets in the next match (against Saurashtra) and then six wickets against a top team, Mumbai,¡± he signed off.