Navdeep Saini after India A selection: Knowing Australian pitches a plus point

By being part of the India A touring party for two four-day matches versus Australia A, Saini gets to return to the scene of his Test debut.

FILE PHOTO: Saini took 14 wickets in three matches, including a fifer against India D in Anantapur, and has then carried that rhythm into the first two games of the new Ranji Trophy campaign for Delhi.  | Photo Credit: PTI

In late August, Navdeep Saini was caught by surprise when his name didn’t feature initially in any of the four squads for the season-opening Duleep Trophy.

As it turned out, he didn’t have to mull over it for long as a late withdrawal from Mohammed Siraj due to illness opened the door for the fast bowler in the India B squad, an opportunity that the 31-year-old, with a quick-arm action, grabbed.

He took 14 wickets in three matches, including a fifer against India D in Anantapur, and has then carried that rhythm into the first two games of the new Ranji Trophy campaign for Delhi.

The result of his solid start to the season is a spot in India A’s squad for the upcoming tour of Australia that serves as a prelude to the senior team’s five-Test series starting next month.

“I was told only two days ago of my selection for India A, but I had an inkling that my name would be there after doing well in the Duleep Trophy,” Saini told Sportstar on Wednesday.

Having been around the scene for more than a decade now, Saini has realised the importance of always being mentally and physically ready for selection. That is why he was able to hit his stride straightaway in the Duleep Trophy despite playing T20 matches in the inaugural version of the Delhi Premier League heading into the First-Class competition.

“It was a big boost to perform in the Duleep Trophy,” Saini said. “At the start, I was wondering for some time why my name wasn’t there. But even when I was playing the Delhi Premier League, I was hopeful that my name would appear. So, I thought that I should just keep preparing and be ready. I was simultaneously training with the red ball, and that is what happened. Once I got the chance, I knew I had to perform. I had a lot of fun.”

By being part of the touring party for two four-day matches versus Australia A, Saini gets to return to the scene of his Test debut. He is the only pacer in the India A squad with experience of playing red-ball cricket in Australia. In the landmark 2020-21 series that India won, Saini’s initiation came in Sydney, and he was there at the crease in the dying moments in Brisbane when domestic teammate Rishabh Pant led a stunning chase.

Ask the pacer about going back to Australia and he says, “It is a very big opportunity for me. I am very excited to be going back to the place where I made my Test debut. A plus point is that I have played in Australia, so I know the atmosphere, weather and wickets.”

Having been a tearaway capable of hitting 150kph when he burst onto the scene for Delhi in 2013, Saini’s pace is an intrinsic trait that he doesn’t want to veer away from. It is obviously harder for him in his 30s, but Saini says the good habits he has maintained since the onset of his domestic career help in that endeavour.

“If you haven’t done things the right way from the start, then it is a bit difficult,” Saini explained. “You have to make a lot of sacrifices for it. You have to sleep on time, you have to eat healthy food, and focus on proper recovery. I didn’t find it difficult because these things have been my habits from the time I started playing in the Ranji Trophy. I can still bowl at an average speed of 140kph all day easily.”