I admire Wasim Akram and Zaheer Khan: Brainder Sran

Brainder Sran’s cricketing career is just four years old. But the story of the left-arm pacer from Punjab is very eventful and worth telling. Sran switched from boxing in Bhiwani to playing cricket for Punjab. Later, an IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals and a string of injuries that kept him out for about three years, but after impressing everyone in this year’s Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, he has now got his maiden call-up to the Indian team.

He is currently with his domestic side Punjab for the knockouts of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. But, once, it gets over, Sran will gear up preparing for his first tour with Team India – the five-ODI series in Australia in January 2016.

Also Read – 11 Facts about Brainder Sran – The promising young face of Indian fast bowling

In an interview with BCCI.tv, he talked about his journey so far and the people who have had an influence on him as a cricketer. Sran also said that he was not aware of the selection and teammates were the first one to know the news.

“We were all in Bengaluru for the Vijay Hazare Trophy and when the news broke, everyone got really excited for me. There was problem with my phone, so I did not know about the selection. I got to know it from my team mates.”

Sran said that he was never anticipated that he would get an India call-up. He thought that good performances for India A may help in grabbing the attention of the selectors.

He also feels that this opportunity came knocking his door because India does not have a left-arm pacer at present and that worked in his favor. Also, he felt that another reason why players like him got a chance is because the domestic calendar was tweaked keeping in mind in the World Twenty20 next year.

“Yes, I have had the advantage of being a left-arm pacer. There are many fast bowlers in the line right now, but being a left-arm pacer has pushed me ahead. It would be great if I can fill that void in the Indian team and lend a bit of variety to the bowling attack.”

“The advancing of the limited overs domestic tournament has benefitted us a lot. If we were playing Ranji Trophy right now, players like me would have missed the Australia tour. Since the Vijay Hazare Trophy has been advanced, the selectors came to watch these matches and we got an opportunity to make our case. The selectors spoke to me and encouraged me to keep performing. I did well in the tournament and got rewarded for it.”

When asked that how much did his stint with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL help him grow as a cricketer, he said, “It helped a lot to be part of Rajasthan Royals. I hadn’t played any cricket at the higher level then and speaking with the international cricketers in the team helped me a lot. Players like Tim Southee and James Faulkner had constant conversations with me, guiding me, telling me how things work in terms of bowling and field placements. Rahul (Dravid) sir boosted my confidence and encouraged me all the time. All this mattered a lot to me.

Sran confesses that he admires Zaheer Khan and Wasim Akram. “When I started playing cricket there was no one in particular. But once I started to play professionally and understood the game better, I came to admire Wasim Akram and Zaheer Khan. I started to watch Zak pa’s bowling and Wasim Akram’s videos a lot. I haven’t had the chance to talk to Zak pa but I did have a brief conversation with Wasim sir for about 15-20 minutes. It was about how to operate with the old ball and which areas to bowl in from over and around the stumps. He said that he would teach me properly when we meet in the nets some day.”

He also admitted that as a young fast bowler Australia is the perfect place to start your international career, “It is a dream of every fast bowler to play on quick wickets with bounce and in conditions that help the pacers. If I get the opportunity to play, it would be a great experience to play in Australia,” he signed off.