An Under-19 World Cup winner in 2022, Sindhu still only 20, is into his fourth season at the senior domestic level. (Special Arrangement)
When Nishant Sindhu says ‘mazaa aa raha hai’ one can sense that he is genuinely having fun. He isn’t talking about his ability to hit the ball long and hard or about the sight of his left-arm spin hitting the top of off-stump. It is to do with the graduation period — after successful foray in age-group levels — Sindhu is now evolving into an all-rounder that he always wanted to be and one those in Haryana’s cricketing ecosystem believe will make him an asset to the Indian team after Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
An Under-19 World Cup winner in 2022, Sindhu still only 20, is into his fourth season at the senior domestic level. He is no stranger to the grind with his father Sunil Kumar a state-level boxer in his youth, exposing his son to the demanding nature of the sport. When Sindhu entered his teens, his father Kumar, now a footwear designer, took him from Rohtak to East Delhi just to play local cricket. “He wanted me to be tougher and in Delhi, even the club cricket used to be very challenging. So in the off season instead of just relying on net sessions, we would travel to Delhi to play matches and comeback. So when I got selected for age-group cricket, that experience benefitted me a lot and now in domestic cricket, I’m getting to experience a lot which I believe will help me in the long run to move forward,” Sindhu, who has been amongst the best performing players in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, tells The Indian Express.
During his Under-19 days, India’s eco-system was divided as to who Sindhu actually was. Was he a batsman who could bowl or a bowler who could bat. In 25 FC matches, he averages 35.35 with the bat and 24.88 with the ball. In List A, he is now finding his feet and is amongst those rare bright talents yet to get an IPL cap despite warming the bench.
When the question is put forward, Sindhu doesn’t seem one bit confused. “I always consider myself as a complete all-rounder,” Sindhu says. “I know it is not easy, but talking to players like Jaddu bhai (Ravindra Jadeja) I have learnt ways to keep getting better at both. When you are bowling, you have to think as a bowler and when you are batting, just think about it. It is all about getting familiar with your routines. And also when your team needs you, be it with bat or ball, you are always there to contribute,” Sindhu says.
It was the early leadership promise that he showed in leading Haryana to titles across age-group levels that fast-tracked him into the senior fold. Playing a majority of his first-class matches at Lahli, a venue where seamers call the shots can be detrimental in the development of a spinner. But Sindhu chooses to see the bright side.
“You can’t give excuses and if you ask me, I believe as a spinner, you have more chances of succeeding at Lahli. Because when a spinner comes in, the batsman is usually in the mood to attack and get some quick runs, which means I get more chances of dismissing him. So in such situations, I usually attack the batsmen and when they want to just play it safe, I try to build pressure by dot balls. It is a lovely battle to test myself,” Sindhu says.
Batting in the middle-order, Sindhu has shown his ability to build a long innings as well as go for quick runs. During his stint with Chennai Super Kings, where he was an understudy to Jadeja, one could see him work a lot in the net sessions with their batting coach Mike Hussey.
“I bonded a lot with him because he improved my batting a lot. I’d sometimes struggle with the short ball and he noticed it and made small tweaks in my batting stance which allowed me to get into better positions. Now, I play the short balls better,” he says.
Though Sindhu is yet to get the IPL match exposure, he has been spending the summer months picking the brains of stalwarts. From Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli, the list seems endless. “One of the reasons why I’ve not changed any of my routines from age-group level to senior level is all of them told me just because you are at the highest level don’t try anything different. Instead they all told me to find ways to improve it, but don’t change what is working. It was huge when I heard it from Sachin Paaji and it is the same thing that Kohli, Jaddu bhai all said,” Sindhu says.
When Sindhu was picked for Haryana’s senior set-up, they had to be patient for success at U19 doesn’t always reflect at the senior level. But over the last four seasons, they have been handling him with care, giving him the cushion to grow as a player. “From age-group level, I used to think at the senior level there would be good players, how am I going to perform and visualise what I should be doing. But when I came here, they were all chill. They made me feel I belong at this level be it practice or match – mazaa aa raha hai.”
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