Saurabh Kumar has gotten a maiden India call-up. (Source: Saurabh Kumar/Instagram)Saurabh Kumar would pray that no one would pull the train chain as he left Baghpat for Delhi. Chain-pulling meant his daily practice session would take a hit. Saurabh’s father, a retired junior engineer in Akashvani, wanted his son to be a cricketer.
“It would take us two-and-a-half hours to reach Delhi. Three times a week, I would come to Sunita Sharma’s academy. My father used to do over-time to make sure he accompanied me to Delhi,” the 28-year old spin all-rounder said.
He was once spotted by Bishan Singh Bedi, who took the budding left-arm spinner under his wing, and Saurabh’s journey began to take shape. He played for Uttar Pradesh in junior cricket but getting into the Ranji Trophy squad was tough. The state team had no place for him, so he played a season (2014-15) for Services before moving back to his home state.
Saurabh Kumar has got a maiden India call up
Saurabh Kumar FC stats
Matches:46
Innings:82
Wickets:196
5w:16
10w:6#INDvSL pic.twitter.com/a7pQ0aNj3D— Sports Flash🇮🇳 (@SportsFlash_1) February 19, 2022
A conventional left-arm spinner is rare in domestic cricket but Saurabh is one. In his first game for Uttar Pradesh, against Gujarat in 2015-16, he took 10 wickets. There was no looking back thereafter. He is also competent with the bat, having scored two first-class hundreds and eight fifties for an average of 29.11.
In the previous Ranji season, 2019-20, Saurabh took 44 wickets at 21.09. In 2018-19, he claimed 51 scalps to go with 19 wickets in the Duleep Trophy. These performances got him picked for the India A tour of South Africa last year.
He relies on the traditional tools of flight, dip and turn. “Mein ye carom-varom ball nahi daalta [I don’t bowl the carom ball]. I never liked it. I like to loop it and set up batsmen in the air.”
With the Ranji Trophy resuming after two years, Saurabh will again look to deceive batsmen.
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