India’s latest pace sensation Navdeep Saini has become a household name thanks to his impressive beginning in the blue jersey. As he gears up to make his Test debut against Australia in the 3rd Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, we take a look at some of the unknown facts about Saini.
Saini who plays for Delhi in the domestic circuit is known for clocking 140+ kmph consistently and is known for his change of pace deliveries. Spotted by former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir, Navdeep Saini made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2013-14 but came in the reckoning in 2017-18 when he scalped 34 wickets in the Ranji Trophy campaign.
The tall and lanky fast bowler has always credited Gambhir and current India skipper Virat Kohli behind his astronomical rise in career. Navdeep Saini will look to make the most of the opportunity in the absence of senior pacers Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Ishant Sharma.
Let us know some unknown facts about the latest pace sensation Navdeep Saini:
1. Born:
Navdeep Saini was born on 23rd November 1992 in Karnal. Saini was born to Amarjeet Singh Saini who was a government driver and his grandfather Karam Singh, was an Azad Hind Fauj soldier founded by the great freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.
Navdeep’s mother is a homemaker and he has two siblings a brother and a sister.
2. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Debut:
The fast bowling sensation made his debut for Delhi in the 2015-16 season when he made his debut against Haryana. He soon impressed one and all with his brisk pace and ability to hit the yorker length at ease.
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3. Bought by Delhi Daredevils in 2017:
The fast bowler from Karnal was bought by the Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals0 for 10 Lakhs in IPL 2017 as the young fast bowler didn’t get a chance to show his talent in the tournament. He was later picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore and currently, he is one of their pace spearheads.
4. Karnal Premier League Trials:
The fast bowler first appeared in the Karnal Premier League Trials and hence was seen by the scouts and then he went on to play for the Delhi Ranji team.
5. Education
The fast bowler, who represents Delhi in the domestic circuit has a B.Tech degree in Computer Science Engineering from Kurukshetra University, Haryana.
6. 2018 IPL Auctions
By 2018, Navdeep Saini had already made a name for himself and was known for his pace and was already Delhi’s frontline bowler along with Kulwant Khejroliya. Saini was hence bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping price of 3 crores as RCB won the pacer after a mini-battle with Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
7. Maiden Test Call-up
The pacer got his maiden test call-up for the series against Afghanistan after Mohammed Shami failed in the Yo-Yo Test, hence Saini got a call-up but didn’t play the game.
8. T20 and ODI Debut
The young pace sensation got his maiden T20 Cap against West Indies in Lauderhill where he broke the backbone of the Windies team.
He made his One Day debut against West Indies in Cuttack which was the decider of the tournament. The player straightaway made an impact and took 2 wickets and conceded 58 runs.
9. Maiden Man of the Series
The Karnal lad got his maiden Man of the Series against Sri Lanka in 2020, where the bowler took 5 wickets in two matches helping India win both the games comfortably.
10. Standby for the 2019 World Cup
Navdeep Saini was also called up for the nets for the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and was named in the reserves in case any of the fast bowlers got injured. However, the opportunity didn’t come his way.