Navdeep Saini Began With Earning ?200/Match Now He's Team India Member, Here's His Journey

It was the first match of the 2019 IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore taking on Chennai Super Kings. CSK were chasing a meagre 71 to win the match as opener Shane Watson trudged out to bat.

Soon the Australian got hit flush on his helmet by a searing bouncer that was clocked at 151kph. Watson was not only beaten for sheer pace, but he was lying on the ground ¨C stunned at what struck him. The bowler was Delhi fast bowler Navdeep Saini, who actually hails from the streets of Karnal, Haryana.

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Over the last six years, Saini has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit; and during the 2019 IPL he impressed one and all with his ability to clock speeds upwards of 150kph. He has also excelled for India ¡®A¡¯ in the ongoing oneday series against West Indies ¡®A¡¯, picking 5/46 in the second unofficial ODI in Antigua. On Sunday, the 26-year-old was rewarded by the selectors, who picked him in India¡¯s ODI as well as T20 teams for the tour to West Indies.

Saini¡¯s journey to the Indian team has been a rollercoaster one. Till 2013, he didn¡¯t play leather-ball cricket; he wasn¡¯t part of any serious age-group cricket either. Saini used to play tennis-ball cricket in local tournaments in Karnal with his earnings being Rs 200 per match.

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Former Delhi medium-pacer Sumit Narwal saw Saini bowl in the Karnal Premier League ¨C a tournament that Narwal used to conduct ¨C and was impressed with his pace. Saini¡¯s next stop was the Delhi nets where he had quite an impact on Gautam Gambhir, who was often beaten for pace. Gambhir would arrange a pair of boots for Saini and ask him to be a regular at the Delhi nets. This was Saini¡¯s intial intrusion into Delhi cricket. Saini had Gambhir¡¯s backing, and the former Delhi captain fought with the state selectors to get the pacer in Delhi¡¯s Ranji Trophy team. Ultimately, Gambhir¡¯s efforts paid off and Saini was selected in the Delhi team in the 2013-14 season.

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Since then, Saini hasn¡¯t looked back. He helped Delhi reach the final of the 2017-18 Ranji season where he finished as the team¡¯s leading wicket-taker with 34 in eight games. It was the semifinal against Bengal that saw Saini come up with his best performance. He took 3/55 in the first innings, and then followed with 4/35 in the second to send Bengal crashing for 86, giving Delhi an innings victory. Saini had vindicated the stand taken by Gambhir, who was Delhi¡¯s captain during the 2017-18 campaign.

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¡°Whenever I speak about Gambhir, I get emotional. In fact, after my first few matches with the Delhi team, he said that if I keep working hard at every practice session, I will play for India. He saw it in me before I realised myself. When I look back, I smile,¡± Saini said, when he had received his maiden call-up to the Indian senior team for the one-off Test match against Afghanistan in June, 2018.