All India fast bowler Navdeep Saini needed to turn the tables with respect to his life was a 15-minute net session with former India batter Gautam Gambir. Originally from Haryana, Saini kick-started his professional career with Delhi primarily because of Gambhir.
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Preparing for a match, there was a change in venue for Delhi’s domestic team’s practice session. In the absence of the designated net bowlers, a sudden opportunity had come Saini’s way. Merely a tennis-ball player at the time, Saini’s fortunate presence at the Roshnara Ground allowed him to bowl to the likes of Gambhir and others.
Navdeep Saini Earned Maiden IPL Deal Worth INR 10 Lakh Because Of Gautam Gambhir
Instantly impressed with how Saini bowled to him for the first time, an adamant Gambhir had made up his mind regarding fast-tracking the right-arm bowler to Delhi’s state team. Not even a resident of the national capital, Saini started representing Delhi in domestic cricket only because of Gambhir’s hell-bent attitude.
Gambhir, who used to lead Delhi at the time, didn’t mind taking on DDCA (Delhi & Districts Cricket Association) officials in order to find a spot for Saini. Gambhir’s resilience won eventually as the Karnal-born finally made his first-class debut for Delhi in 2013 followed by playing his first List A and T20 matches for the team in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
As is the natural progression, Saini earned a maiden Indian Premier League deal after Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) bought him for his base price of INR 10 lakh during IPL 2017 auction. Having picked 34 wickets, Saini was the highest wicket-taker for Delhi in Ranji Trophy 2017–18. In Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018–19, he was the best bowler for Delhi with 16 dismissals across eight outings.
The following season, he got an INR 3 crore contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Interestingly, he made his IPL debut after a two-season wait in 2019. Saini currently represents Rajasthan Royals in the cash-rich league.
Navdeep Saini Used To Play Tennis Ball Cricket For INR 500
Navdeep Saini, who comes from a very humble background, is the son of Amarjeet Singh Saini, a bus driver in Haryana Roadways. Saini, who didn’t even have a pair of bowling spikes during the aforementioned net session, benefited from Gambhir’s presence in his life. Having received the shoes from him, Saini admired Gambhir’s role in his life during a press conference ahead of IPL 2019 in Bengaluru.
“Gautam [Gambhir] bhaiya has had the biggest role in my life so far. He was the one who gave me an opportunity when I didn’t have much idea about red-ball cricket. I didn’t have shoes also. He showed a lot of confidence in me,” Saini was quoted as saying by The Times Of India.
Saini, who used to earn merely INR 250-500 while playing tennis-ball cricket, further highlighted how bowling in those matches helped him increase his pace. It is noteworthy that Saini’s pace is what diffrentiates him from many other domestic Indian bowlers.
“All the help I have got in my bowling is all because of tennis-ball cricket. If you want to bowl full with the tennis ball, it is crucial you are fast. Since I bowled a lot with the tennis ball, it helped me build strength. Because of that, my arm speed increased as well.”
Saini, who hasn’t played an international match in over a couple of years now, was part of the Indian Test squad during the tour of West Indies earlier this year. Having represented India across two Tests, eight ODIs and 11 T20s between 2019-2021, the 30-year old player is an epitome of how a raw potential can be nurtured by proper guidance.
