'Cricket was my backup to academics' - Nandre Burger reveals how he started his cricketing journey

For many aspiring cricketers, the sport is a lifelong passion and dream from a young age. But for Rajasthan Royals' South African pacer Nandre Burger, cricket was merely a means to an education. In a recent interview, the 28-year-old revealed about his entry into the game that has now become his profession.

In 2014, Burger took up cricket not due to any big ambitions of making it his career, but simply because it offered him a full scholarship at the University of the Witwatersrand to study psychology.

“Sounds strange, right? WITS offered a scholarship for those who played cricket. I thought it was cool. I didn’t want to be a cricketer, but I was getting a free way to study, so I thought, why not? Cricket was my backup to academics (laughs),” Burger told ESPNcricinfo.

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I laughed it off at first: Nandre Burger

Burger tried his hand at other sports as well like tennis and squash. His journey into cricket started just as an avenue for free education and he went on to represent South Africa across all formats. Initially, Burger laughed off his university coach Neil Levenson's suggestion that he could play for the national team. 

“I laughed it off at first. I was like, ‘Man, I bowl at 125kph. I can’t do this for a living. I’ve seen guys bowl 145kph.’ Neil would have none of that. I said to him, ‘Okay, I’ll give this a go.’ And within a few weeks, I was excited to train. I’d miss classes to be at training, wanting to work batters over,” Burger added.

However, Levenson's belief in his potential gradually motivated Burger's excitement for the sport. He soon found himself skipping classes to train, working on his skills against batters. Moreover, Burger also got a stint as a net bowler with the Highveld Lions franchise team.

The left-armer made his international debut for South Africa in December 2023 and has since picked up 11 Test, five ODI, and one T20I wickets. His performances earned him an IPL contract worth Rs 50 lakh with the Rajasthan Royals for the 2024 season. In his second ODI, Burger scalped three wickets to help South Africa bowl out India for 211.

“As I walked off the field, Pommie (Mbangwa) and Shaun Pollock were like, ‘Well bowled, and congrats,’ and I’m thinking, congrats for taking three wickets? Congrats on bowling ten overs. It wasn’t even my debut, so I’m confused. I go in, change, and come back down again,” he concluded. 

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The South African made his IPL debut in RR's opening game of the season against Lucknow Super Giants and picked up one wicket of Ayush Badoni in the match. RR will be backing the bowler for the ongoing season.