Punjab relied on 20-year-old Ramandeep Singh to win the BCCI U-23 One Day League in Lucknow last month. Right-hander Ramandeep scored over 300 runs and emerged as Punjab’s leading run-scorer. Furthermore, Punjab beat Bengal by four wickets to win the championship.
Ramandeep, who comes from a family of sportsmen, smashed a century and two and a half centuries in the tournament. Meanwhile, his father Hardev Singh is a former international cyclist.
The coach and the boss showed confidence in me:
Initially, Ramandeep rejected the order. However, his coach and captain showed confidence in him and promoted him. Furthermore, Ramandeep returned the favor with crucial knocks in all the knockout matches.
“My goal was to achieve a good performance in the tournament. Initially I played lower in the batting order, but in the knockout phase, coach Sunil Saggi and captain Karan Kaila showed confidence in me and sent me up the batting order. The knock in the quarter-final against Odisha boosted my confidence and the century in the semi-final against Madhya Pradesh came after we lost two quick wickets. In the final, I was able to form a partnership with Sanvir Singh and winning the title meant a lot to all of us.“Ramandeep told Indian Express.
Meanwhile, the young batsman rose through the age categories demonstrating his skill with the bat. Furthermore, he admitted that he showed promise in scoring runs in district cricket.
Eyeing a position in India U23:
Ramandeep revealed that he took up cricket after India’s victory in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007. He further added how Harbhajan Singh gave him confidence. Ramandeep admitted that his aim is to get a place in the India U23 team for the Asian Cricket Council Emerging Teams Cup later this year.
“I opted for cricket in 2007, when India won the T-20 World Cup. Last year, during my debut for the Punjab senior team, coach Arun Sharma and captain Harbhajan Singh spoke to me and gave me advice.”said the talented batsman.
“My goal now is to be selected for the Indian under-23 team in the Asian Cricket Council Emerging Teams Cup later this year. Teams like Sri Lanka and Pakistan will play alongside India,” Ramandeep added.
Meanwhile, Ramandeep also made his debut for Punajb’s senior team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Haryana last year.
His coach Sunil Saggi of Punjab U23 believes he can excel at the national level. However, he admitted that Ramandeep needs more practice to excel in the longest format of the game.
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