[Watch] ‘Fast and furious’ Navdeep Saini in the nets ahead of his Test debut at the SCG
Having been selected in the playing XI for the SCG Test against Australia, Navdeep Saini was seen running in hard and giving it his all in the nets.
Navdeep Saini bowled with purpose and he prepared himself for his Test debut. BCCI took to Twitter to post a video of the pacer bowling full throttle in the nets ahead of the Sydney Test. Watch the video below:
The confusion surrounding who would replace Umesh Yadav for the SCG Test was cleared when Navdeep Saini was named in the Indian playing XI for the New Year Test at Sydney.
There were indications that left-arm seamer T. Natarajan could make a dream Test debut after he posted a picture of himself in the India whites on Twitter. Some reports also claimed that Shardul Thakur could get the nod owing to his ability to swing the ball.
Eventually, it was his excess pace and experience at the domestic level that went in Navdeep Saini’s favour. Saini has clocked speeds in excess of 145 in the limited-overs matches that he has played. While speed is not something that has troubled Australia in the past, the current Aussie batting line-up can definitely be unsettled by raw pace and bounce.
Navdeep Saini: A massive opportunity comes knocking
Navdeep Saini made his international debut in the first T20I against the West Indies at Lauderhill in August of 2019. It was a memorable debut for the fast bowler as he claimed 3 for 17 and was named Man of the Match in his very first outing.
He has so far featured in 10 T20Is and seven ODIs and has claimed 13 and six wickets respectively.
The 28-year-old featured in the first two one-dayers against Australia at Sydney, but had a harrowing time in both encounters. He finished with highly expensive figures of 1 for 83 and 0 for 70.
He did not play in the T20Is as T. Natarajan was given a chance to make an impressive debut. Navdeep Saini did impress with figures of 3 for 19 in the three-day pink-ball practice game against Australia A held at Sydney.
Although he is relatively new to international cricket, Navdeep Saini has 128 wickets in 46 first-class matches in a career spanning seven years.
He will look to call upon all his experience as he runs in to bowl to the Aussie batsmen at the SCG. His extreme pace could be an X-factor, but if he gets it wrong, he could also prove to be expensive. Either way, Navdeep Saini is likely to have an impact in his debut Test match.