17 year-old left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan is one of the brightest young talents in the Indian cricketing circle today.
Monday, May 19, 2008
New quickie on the block!
Born: November 5, 1990
Attributes: Left-arm medium, Right-hand bat
 Pradeep bowls during the U-19 WC © Getty Images |
Rated highly by many cricket experts and former Indian cricketers, Sangwan has displayed immense potential at a very young age. The left-arm quick is a magnificent exponent of the new red cherry and is a tough bowler to face when he is on a roll. As a batsman, he is also capable of delivering some lusty blows with the willow in his hands.
Initial steps in cricket:
Born in Najafgarh, Pradeep has been a keen follower and learner of the sport from his childhood days. He had to go through long, trying and tiring journeys everyday to make it to practice session on the other side of the town. The youngster was coached by Anil Sharma, the man who coached and guided Virender Sehwag to fame.
Sangwan is ‘Viru’s’ neighbour and it was the Virender Sehwag’s father who introduced him to Anil Sharma. Sharma was extremely impressed with his eagerness to work hard and the keenness to frequently ask questions about the game.
Pradeep’s cracking caliber:
Here’s what Sangwan’s coach Anil Sharma had to say about this promising young talent:
'Everyone who represents India has worked hard and Pradeep was no different. But what made him stand apart was that he was always asking questions. He was never satisfied with what he was doing and was always eager to do more.’
Impressed with Sangwan’s performance in the season, former Delhi skipper Vijay Dahiya had the following words of praise for the young prodigy:
"Sangwan has been bowling well on the Delhi circuit where fast bowlers have to deliver on paata (flat) tracks. He is a workhorse who never gives up."
Lillee is excited to work with Sangwan and has this to say:
“I've known many of the young players in the Delhi Daredevils squad and I am looking forward to work with upcoming talent such as Pradeep Sangwan.”
The Delhi lad is a big follower of Pakistan legend Wasim Akram and has modelled his bowling style on him. He likes to think the opposition batsmen out and exploit their weaknesses. Sangwan has the natural ability to swing the ball into the right handers, when it customary for left armers to angle the ball away. Helping him improvise the art of inswing is one of India’s greatest seam bowlers, Manoj Prabhakar. The former India allrounder is helping Sangwan maintain a tight control on the new ball and improve his accuracy.
Pradeep also polished his skills as a medium-pace bowler at the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai. The academy’s head coach, TA Sekhar considers Sangwan to be the best India Under-19 bowler and the one to watch out for in the future. He also went to England to perfect his side-arm action at the Loughborough centre.
Sangwan displayed his usefulness with the bat during an Under-19 encounter against the Sri Lankan Under-19’s, when he scored a plucky half-century and was involved in a valuable partnership with Virat Kohli.
Entry into the domestic team:
In 2007, the Delhi team was desperately looking for someone to partner Ishant Sharma with the new ball. Virender Sehwag recommended Pradeep’s name and the left-armer was given a nod for the Ranji one-dayers first. Sangwan didn’t disappoint, as he scalped as many as seven wickets in the two opportunities he got.
The Najafgarh born was then drafted into the Ranji Trophy squad and the stage was set for Pradeep Sangwan to stamp his authority on the domestic cricket scene. On his first-class debut against Rajasthan, the promising sensation took 5 wickets in a match-winning effort. With his team bundled out for just 119 runs in the first innings, someone needed to put their hands and perform and the debutant responded brilliantly to the challenge, picking up three wickets to help dismiss Rajasthan for 85 runs. In the final innings too, the southpaw chipped in with two wickets to bowl his team to a 172-run victory.
The 17-year old remained in the limelight for his performances with the new ball throughout the 2007-08 Ranji season, as he spurred up some splendid performances. He was a major factor in propelling Delhi to the competition’s final and within their hunt of their first Ranji Trophy in 16 years. But Sangwan reserved his best performance for the final against Uttar Pradesh.
The bustling pacer accounted for four wickets in the first innings to help bowl out Uttar Pradesh for 342 runs. And with his team conceding a first inning lead, it was time for Pradeep to script a stunning victory for Delhi. In the second innings of the final, he registered his career best performance of 5/46 which was chiefly instrumental in folding out Uttar Pradesh for 170 runs. Delhi registered a convincing 9-wicket victory to claim their first Ranji title in more than a decade and a half.
A tally of 33 wickets in his maiden first-class season saw him emerge as the leading wicket taker for Delhi.
India Under-19 stint:
 Pradeep Sangwan with team-mates © Getty Images |
Sangwan first donned the Indian colours on the Under-19 tour of Sri Lanka. He made good use of the conditions available there and was one of the stand out performers in the series. But one of the best and the proudest moment of his career came at the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The prodigious seamer was a prominent member of the Indian team that clinched the Under-19 World Cup. Sangwan caught everyone’s eyes with 8 wickets in the tournament. His best performance came in the group stage match where he triggered a Proteas collapse with figures of 5/44. Pradeep came back to haunt the South Africans yet again, this time in the final when he bowled an immaculate spell of five overs for a miserly 14 runs to help his team win the all-important encounter.
Crack at the IPL:
Sangwan is one of the many India Under-19 cricketers who were given the contracts to showcase their talent in the high-profile India Premier League. The pacer is representing his home team Delhi in the competition. With legends like Glenn McGrath in the team, it will be a great opportunity for the gifted left-armer to grasp some vital tips on fast bowling. Another former Australian legend who will be a part of the Delhi team as a bowling advisor is Dennis Lillee.
With his knack to hit the right patches often, especially on flat sub-continent tracks, Pradeep Sangwan is one of the most promising cricketers in the domestic circuit. And with the new Indian pace battery comprising a pool of quality seamers, the Haryanvi medium-pacer could be a valuable add-on to the unit.
Why a Young Gun?
• Scalped a staggering 33 wickets in his maiden first-class season for Delhi
• He is rated highly by many former and current cricketers
• Was a prominent performer in India’s triumph at the Under-19 World Cup
• Was an instrumental figure in Delhi clinching the Ranji Trophy after 16 years
• The Najafgarh born is a hard-worker and an intense and quick learner of the game
