Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep Sharma is a prodigious young talent in the same category of master swing bowlers that India has produced in the last few years as Praveen Kumar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The right-arm medium-fast bowler from Punjab has the capability to bowl both inswingers and outswingers on will. He has had the number of top-cricketers like Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers amongst others in the IPL.

Table of Contents

1. Career
2. Background

Career

Domestic career

Sandeep Sharma fist shot into limelight when he was selected for the 2010 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, however, he really came to the party two years later again on the same stage but playing for Unmukt Chand this time. The prodigious Punjab talent having the ability to viciously swing the Kookaburra both ways helped Unmukt Chand's team win the junior world cup in Australia by claiming four wickets in the final against the hosts and finishing as our joint-best bowler with 12 wickets.

Sandeep didn’t rest much on his laurels and carried the momentum into the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy, where he gobbled up the most wickets for Punjab and finished the season as the fifth-highest wicket-taker overall with 42 scalps from 9 matches at 19.41 including three five-fors and one 10-fer. The good form continued in the Vijay Hazare Trophy where he again finished as highest wicket-taker for Punjab with 10 wickets from six matches at 20.60. So far Sandeep has played First-Class matches and took wickets at an impressive average of 26.14.

IPL Career

Riding high on his domestic success, Sandeep earned a contract with the Kings XI Punjab ahead of IPL 2013. It didn’t take much time for Sandeep to become KXIP’s strike bowler as he routinely picked up the wickets upfront. In the 2014 season, Sandeep played 11 matches for his franchise and took an impressive 18 wickets and on several occasions donned the purple cap before it went to Chennai Super Kings’ Mohit Sharma. He picked up 17 wickets in the 2017 edition for KXIP with best bowling figures of 4/20, but he was let go by the franchise.

In 2018, Sandeep was snaffled by the Surisers Hyderabad and so far in the two seasons played, he has taken 24 wickets in 23 matches.

International Career

T20I Career

Sandeep Sharma made his debut in International cricket against Zimbabwe in 2015 after impressing the selectors while playing for KXIP. However, he failed to take any wicket in the first T20I which India won. In the match that followed, Sandeep managed to take a wicket but the Indian side lost that match. So, he went unnoticed by the selectors and was dropped. Since then Sandeep has been looking to make inroads in the national team but the tough competition has eluded him that spot.

Background

Sandeep Singh was born on 18 May 1993 in Patiala, Punjab to Balwinder Sharma and Naina Wati. Legend has it that Singh was a batsman in his initial days as a cricketer but turned to bowling when one of his coaches advised him to do so.