Singer-actor Hardavinder Singh Sandhu, alias Harrdy Sandhu, who had represented India Under-19 and Punjab as a fast bowler in 2005, was quite close to making it to the Indian ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2006 squad. In his recent appearance on a podcast named ‘Figuring Out With Raj Shamani‘, Sandhu provided reasons for missing out on a tournament in which his country finished as the runners-up.
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Interestingly, one of the perceived reasons is said to have revolved around former India fast bowler Venkatesh Prasad, who was the head coach of the team at the time. That being said, it is to be noted that Sandhu himself admitted that a classic case of misunderstanding between him and Prasad could not be the only reason due to which he was left “heartbroken” upon his non-selection.
Despite Harrdy Sandhu Dismissing Rohit, Pujara And Jadeja, ‘Venky’ Venkatesh Prasad Hadn’t Selected Him In India’s 2006 U-19 World Cup Squad
Sandhu, who had suffered a stress fracture in his back while playing an age-group Punjab vs Tamil Nadu match in Chennai, hadn’t disclosed his injury to the Indian U-19 team management before participating in his only match for the team.
Playing under Ambati Rayudu in a Playing XI which also consisted of Robin Uthappa, Shikhar Dhawan and Manoj Tiwary, an injured Sandhu had registered match figures of 21-12-18-0. With the injury unsurprisingly getting aggravated during the course of a three-day contest against England Under-19 in Bengaluru, the right-arm bowler had no option than to pack his bags and head home.
While this match was played in January 2005, it took Sandhu almost a year before he recovered to play three Ranji Trophy matches for Punjab in December that year. Having suffered chicken pox after the third match against Baroda (his last match in representative cricket), Sandhu was in a race against time to feel himself again before joining a preparatory U-19 camp in Pune.
“I was among the top 2-3 [U-19] performers in bowling that year. Venkatesh Prasad was the coach of the Indian team. The selectors were Pravin Amre, Dilip Vengsarkar and one more person. They had selected 30 players with an intention of finalizing the squad from the top performers across three matches during the camp,” Sandhu informed Shamani.
“I played the first match – 10 overs, 3-4 maidens, 33-35 runs [and picked] five wickets. I got Rohit Sharma out. I got Cheteshwar Pujara out. I got Ravindra Jadeja out. And then Pinal Shah and Yo Mahesh.”
Rested for the second match, Sandhu was yet to bowl in the third match when the team was announced. Being touted as a confirmed pick by his teammates, Sandhu was shell-shocked when his name wasn’t part of the squad. Not even part of the reserves as the selectors preferred an off-spinner ahead of him, Sandhu believes that picking an additional spinner could have been a reason behind his snub. However, as mentioned above, another reason could have been a misconception between him and Prasad.
“We were batting on the third day. It was my turn to bat and I had asked Rahul Sharma [former India and Punjab spinner] for a bat. Rahul’s nickname was Venky. And Venkatesh Prasad was our coach. He was sitting in front. I shouted ‘Venky’ [to Rahul]. I had called Rahul but [a shocked] Venkatesh Prasad was looking at me. [Maybe] I think he took offence and zeroed in on the same squad [which had played the last two U-19 tournaments].”
Who Were India’s Pacers During ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2006?
Frankly speaking, it is unfair to entirely blame Prasad for Sandhu’s non-selection for a world event which was played 17 years ago. Prasad, who was the Chairman of BCCI’s Junior Selection Committee during the U-19 World Cup in 2018, wasn’t the only one selecting the squad in 2006.
For those who don’t know, veteran pacer Ishant Sharma, who has played almost 200 matches across formats for India, had warmed the bench throughout the tournament in Sri Lanka. On the contrary, pacers Yo Mahesh and Abu Nechim Ahmed, neither of whom later qualified to play international cricket, had played all the six matches of that competition.
Meanwhile, each one of Indian captain Rohit Sharma, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara had made it to the U-19 squad for 2006 World Cup under Ravikant Shukla. Wicket-keeper batter Pinal Shah, one of Sandhu’s aforementioned five wickets, had also played the final against Pakistan at the R Premdasa Stadium.
