IND vs SA: All-rounder Ramandeep Singh makes his debut in Centurion

The count would stop once he had hit 700 balls each day. “The next day, he and Shubman would compare who had faced the most balls. I used to be the throwdown specialist for Ramandeep, and Lakhwinder ji was for Shubman,” shared Hardev Singh with The Indian Express once.

Unlike Shubman, Ramandeep traversed a different journey. He never played for India U-19. He worked hard for Punjab in the age-group circuit and got his chance to play for the state team in his last year of U-23.

Meanwhile, his two first cousins, Anmolpreet Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, who had represented India U-19, were regulars for Punjab and secured hefty IPL deals.

After toiling hard, Ramandeep finally received recognition when he was picked by the Mumbai Indians in the IPL mega auction in 2022. He was signed to fill the void left by Hardik Pandya, but was later released by the franchise. KKR roped him in, and Gautam Gambhir, then their team mentor, assured him that he would play in all the games.

“Gautam sir told me I would be batting at No. 7 and No. 8 and advised me to prepare accordingly,” says Ramandeep.

“During an intra-squad match at KKR, my side needed six runs off two balls to win, and I clinched the match with a six. Gautam sir told me, ‘You are my favourite cricketer in this team, and I will back you throughout the tournament. You should never play with fear’.”