2019 was an amazing year for India overall, especially on the fast bowling front with Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma having a great run and Umesh Yadav joining the fun towards the end of 2019 after Bumrah suffered a back injury.
2020 too has begun on a delightful note for India, with pacers Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur coming up with commendable performances in the second T20I against Sri Lanka at Indore. Saini, in particular, impressed with his exceptional pace, even breaching the 150-kmph barrier. The unplayable yorker he bowled to Danushka Gunathilaka would have made Jasprit Bumrah proud, who was making his comeback in the game. Saini also sent back Bhanuka Rajapaksa with a searing short delivery, which the batsman failed to get out of the way.
The two wicket-taking balls in the match were actually two of the standout moments in the game and reiterated that pace and bounce can be lethal in the T20 format as well. Saini’s 2 for 18 definitely deserved to be the man of the match performance, for his efforts halted Sri Lanka in their tracks. Although Thakur finished with three wickets with his variations, all his scalps were lower-order batsmen.
27-year-old Saini made a memorable T20I debut against West Indies at Lauderhill on August 3, 2019. He claimed figures of 3 for 17 with one maiden, sending back big opposition batsmen like Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard and Shimron Hetmyer first ball, a couple of them clearly beaten for pace. Saini was, in fact, the man of the match on his debut as well, as India held West Indies to 95 for 9 and, after a few hiccups with the bat, won the game by four wickets.
Saini also played a good supporting role in the Providence T20I against the Windies, again dismissing Pollard and Pooran as India thrashed the opponents 3-0. Saini’s ability to pick key wickets has come to the fore very early in his career. After 7 T20Is, Saini has promising figures — eight wickets at a strike rate of 15.7 and an average of 19.37. Although these are still early days in his career, the signs of progress are highly encouraging. Saini also made his ODI debut against West Indies in December last year. While he conceded 58 runs in the match, he bowled Roston Chase and had Hetmyer caught off the pull.
Although Saini has made an impression with his speed in his short international stint, his comments after winning the player of the match in the T20I against Sri Lanka at Indore prove that he is a quick learner as well. “I am gaining confidence with both the white ball and a red ball. When I made my T20I debut, I wanted to bowl fast, but now I know the importance of the slower deliveries. I practiced well and was confident. It’s important to be confident and it’s also important to use the variations,” Saini said at the post-match presentation.
Quite a few years of hard work have gone into the making of Saini. He made his first-class debut for Delhi against Vidarbha in December 2003. And, in 45 matches, he has 125 scalps to his name at an average of 28.30. In the Ranji Trophy match against Andhra at Ongole in December last year, he claimed 5 for 86 even as Delhi went down by nine wickets. Saini has also featured in 42 T20s, in which he has picked up 38 wickets at an average of 28.36, and a strike rate of 23.9, apart from 77 scalps in List A cricket.
With Deepak Chahar and Thakur also shining in the T20Is, a good second line of fast bowlers is developing for India, which augurs well for the World T20 to be held in Australia later in the year.