Another ticket collector on the rise in Indian cricket - Meet the man who dismissed Ajinkya Rahane
Fast bowler Himanshu Sangwan was the star performer for Railways as he took six wickets to guide his team to a sensational win over the star-studded Mumbai in Ranji Trophy. The 24-year-old impressed everyone with his brand of fast bowling and his victims included big names like Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw. Sangwan, who is also a ticket collector, had a stint at the MRF Pace Foundation and he credited Australia pace legend Glenn McGrath for his success.
“I take inspiration from Australia legend Glenn McGrath. He is my idol. I learnt a lot from McGrath during my stint at the MRF Pace Foundation. I was there for a short camp in March (2019). He used to watch my videos and tell me the areas where I should improve. He is a legend of the game. He told me one thing – ‘when in trouble, go to the basics’,” Sangwan told Timesofindia.com.
“I bowled many deliveries under his (McGrath’s) supervision and he was taking notes. After every session, he used to motivate me and tell me technical things. ‘Stick to the basics and stay patient’ – these are the two things I will always remember from McGrath. Honestly, his guidance is helping me a lot in the Ranji Trophy,” Sangwan added.
Railways only needed to chase down 47 runs to win which they did without losing a wicket after dismissing a Mumbai batting lineup consisting of Shaw and Rahane among others for 198 in their second innings. They were all out for 114 in the first innings after which Railways posted 266 with captain Karn Sharma scoring a century.
“We had a team meeting head of the Mumbai match. Our coach said we are not underdogs. We also have good batsmen and bowlers in the team. He said don’t think who is on strike. Whether it is Rahane or Shaw, go and bowl in the right areas. We bowled in the right areas and we got the success against a top team like Mumbai. It was a magnificent feeling to beat a top team and that too in their own den,” Sangwan said.
“I knew Prithvi is an attacking player. He will always look to attack. So I didn’t panic and bowled in some specific areas, with change of pace. This worked well against Prithvi. But when Rahane came to the crease, the thought of him being one of the best Test batsmen in the world crossed my mind. He is India’s No. 3 and vice captain of the Indian Test team. I bowled in the right areas and wanted him to play the outside-off- stump deliveries. That’s how I got him. I had plans for both Rahane and Prithvi,”
“My coach Harvinder Singh sir and captain Karn Sharma have helped me a lot. They sit and make plans and those plans have worked well in our favour. In my opinion, our bowling attack is capable of doing wonders against top teams. Our matches against Mumbai and UP are examples of this. I am getting a lot of support from my fellow pacer T Pradeep. He is a talented bowler,” Sangwan concluded.