Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir congratulated young pacer Navdeep Saini on Saturday after he made his international debut against West Indies in the first T20I in Lauderhill, Florida.
The former Delhi cricketer took the opportunity to hit out at Bishen Singh Bedi and Chetan Chauhan, members of the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), who were critical of Saini’s talent, while Gambhir endorsed it.
“Kudos Navdeep Saini on ur India debut. U already have 2 wkts even before u have bowled- @BishanBedi & @ChetanChauhanCr. Their middle stumps are gone seeing debut of a player whose cricketing obituary they wrote even before he stepped on the field, shame!!!” Gambhir tweeted on Saturday.
When Gambhir wanted Saini to be part of the Delhi Ranji Trophy team, it was Bedi and Chauhan who were not in favour of the decision. But it was Gambhir’s support that helped the young pacer rise through the ranks and eventually make his India debut.
Till 2013, Saini used to play with tennis balls in his hometown earning Rs 200 per match. But things changed during a 15-minute net session where Gambhir took notice of him. From there started, Saini’s cricketing career.
On Saturday, Saini made a dream debut with the ball. Coming into attack in the fifth over of the match, the lanky pacer dismissed in-form Windies batsmen Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer off successive deliveries in his very first over in international cricket. He later returned to pick the wicket of Kieron Pollard (49) in the 20th over without conceding a single run. He finished with 3 wickets for 17 from 4 overs.
India went on to restrict West Indies to 95/9 in 20 overs before they chased down the target with 16 balls to spare and 4 wickets in hand to take a 1-0 lead. Saini was adjudged the Player of the Match.
As skipper Virat Kohli said after the match, Navdeep Saini is all about ‘raw pace’. Clocking 152.85 kmph in his debut IPL season, Saini made the right noises as he was the fastest among the Indian pacers. Only South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada was ahead of him with a speed of 154.23 kmph. He finished with 11 wickets in this previous edition of the IPL while turning up for Virat Kohli-led side Royal Challengers Bangalore.
In the recently concluded, unofficial 5-match ODI series against West Indies A, Saini was the second highest wicket-taker.
Saturday was indeed a proud moment for mentor Gautam Gambhir, who backed Saini till the hilt since he early playing days.
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