Have had the advantage of being a left-arm pacer, says Barinder Sran

Barinder Sran

Barinder Sran, the 23-year-old Punjab lad who was called up for the national team recently for India’s tour of Australia, got into a chat with BCCI.Tv. The young left-arm pacer reflected on his journey and it’s thought provoking how so much happened to him in a span of just 4 Years. Earlier a boxer, Sran switched to Cricket, got an IPL Contract followed by injuries and now, he has finally been called up for the national side.

Barinder, who aims to win the Vijay Hazare trophy for his home team, said that he has had an eventful journey with Punjab.

When asked about how he felt about the national call up, Sran said that his teammates were more excited than him and he only got his news from them since his mobile wasn’t working. He said, “The reaction came more from my Punjab teammates. We were all in Bengaluru for the Vijay Hazare Trophy and when the news broke, everyone got really excited for me. There was a problem with my phone, so I did not know about the selection. I got to know it from my teammates.”

With such an eventful career he has had, on being asked whether he was hoping for such a surprise call-up for the national side, the left arm pacer said, “I made my debut in 2011 and there was a big gap in between due to my injuries. It hasn’t been long since I returned to cricket and I never thought I would receive an India call-up so soon after the comeback. I thought I would be playing for India A and if I did well there I would be in contention for an India call-up.”

He has had niggling injuries for a long time, but his confidence has not gone down a bit as he eyes the Australian tour. He wasn’t expecting such an immediate call after his comeback.

Being a left armer, he has had much of an advantage. India has not had a left arm pacer for a while now and the Punjab boy would love to take this advantage to the best of his abilities and make a permanent spot in the team. He was asked if being a left arm pacer eased his way to the national side. The 23-year-old said, “Yes, I have had the advantage of being a left-arm pacer.

“There are many fast bowlers in the line right now, but being a left-arm pacer has pushed me ahead. It would be great if I can fill that void in the Indian team and lend a bit of variety to the bowling attack.”

A fast bowler’s dream to play on Australian pitches: Sran

He has been more of a domestic cricketer and hasn’t really had much of an experience at the higher level. Being a part of the Rajasthan Royals played a significant role in his cricketing life. Playing under the likes of classy fast bowlers like Tim Southee and James Faulkner mattered a lot to him, as he said, “Players like Tim Southee and James Faulkner had constant conversations with me, guiding me, telling me how things work in terms of bowling and field placements.”

Rahul Dravid has been a mentor to many youngsters in this country and Sran had no choice but to praise the wall, who helped him gain confidence, “Rahul (Dravid) sir boosted my confidence and encouraged me all the time.”

Barinder Sran considers Zaheer Khan and Wasim Akram his idols and mentioned how he used to watch videos of both the legends. He never got a chance to meet Zak but had a 15-20-minute conversation with Wasim Akram.

“It was about how to operate with the old ball and which areas to bowl in from over and around the stumps. He said that he would teach me properly when we meet in the nets some day.”

Australia is a land of fast paced pitches and is ideally a dream start to the youngster’s career. Every fast bowler loves to bowl on bouncy tracks and that’s what Sran said would work in his favour too.

“It is a dream of every fast bowler to play on quick wickets with bounce and in conditions that help the pacers. If I get the opportunity to play, it would be a great experience to play in Australia.”

The Punjab boy is full of potential and it will be exciting to see how the Indian squad exploits his talent. Finally, with a left arm pacer around, the captain would definitely look to give this player a chance down under as we look forward to the Australian tour.