Mumbai, Jan 10: Mumbai bowler Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Jr.)’s four-for earlier in the day had the visiting Tamil Nadu struggling on 139 for the loss of six wickets in the ongoing Ranji Trophy semifinal. The pacer, who made his Ranji Trophy debut against Punjab at Wankhede last month, took two wickets before lunch and two soon after to emerge as the standout bowler.
After the end of the day’s play, Sandhu spoke to the media about his bowling and the wicket. Excerpts:
On the wicket
The wicket today was on the slower side. The ball was swinging throughout the day so that helped.
On whether he got some help from the pitch and whether the captain had given him any special tips
No special tips as such. We [were looking to] stick to the basics and bowl in areas and at the line and length that we usually do.
On the prospect of bowling out Tamil Nadu after the visitors were tottering on 107 for four
We had thought we would bowl them out but the wicket has eased out a bit and they are also batting decently so we will have to work harder. They are also set [R Prasanna and Yo Mahesh]. Let’s see [how it goes] in the morning.
On Tamil Nadu’s batting after the top-order was dismissed
They had started well. After we got the first wicket initially, Badri [S Badrinath] and Murali Vijay batted well. After that we just kept bowling in the right areas [hoping for wickets].
On whether there was swing at the end of the day
Yes, it was swinging a bit.
On what it means to him to perform in this match
It means a lot because it’s a Ranji Trophy semifinal match and the opponents are also good. They have got a good team. They have a good batting line-up so obviously it matters for my career as well as for the team because we are looking forward to playing and winning the final. It is a very important match for us.
On how it felt to be on a hat-trick after dismissing the top-order batsmen
It felt good to get wickets off consecutive balls; I tried for a hat-trick but didn’t get it. It’s okay.
On Badrinath’s wicket
It was a good break because the bowling wasn’t up to the mark in the first session [other than that delivery], so it helped.
On whether Wankhede, where he took a five-for on debut, was proving to be his lucky ground
Wankhede is proving to be lucky. Hopefully it goes on.
