Ramandeep Singh might get a chance to make his India debut in the coming days. The 27-year-old has been included in the squad for the South Africa T20I tour and might get to don the prestigious blue jersey in one of the four matches. But how did it happen? Because until not long, no one knew who Ramandeep was. Till now, he’s played just 84 matches across formats (including IPL).
The sudden rise in stature comes because of his IPL 2024 season and the backing of their then Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor and now India head coach, Gautam Gambhir. Before Ramandeep leaves for South Africa, he revealed that Gambhir had a plan for him, and that is the reason for his success. He was supposed to bat at 7 or 8 and provide the final flourish. “Gautam sir told me I would be batting at No. 7 and No. 8 and advised me to prepare accordingly,” Ramandeep told Indian Express.
I will back you: Gambhir to Ramandeep Singh
“During an intra-squad match at KKR, my side needed six runs off two balls to win, and I clinched the match with a six. Gautam sir told me, ‘You are my favourite cricketer in this team, and I will back you throughout the tournament. You should never play with fear’,” he added.
Role clarity at KKR
Ramandeep Singh knew what he was supposed to do. In addition to mentor Gambhir, KKR batting coach Abhishek Nayar also told him what was expected of him, and he made sure to make the spot (7-8) his own. Although Ramandeep scored just 125 runs, these came at an over 200 strike rate and helped KKR maintain their aggressive approach throughout the match.
“Before the IPL, when we had a camp in Mumbai under Abhishek Nayar, I was given a clear role about what the team expected from me. I told myself that I had to perform extraordinarily to catch everyone’s attention. My role in the team is to create an impact. It is clearly defined for me: face fewer balls and score more runs,” he added.
Andre Russell, role model & helper
Ramandeep tries to model his game around Andre Russell. The West Indies T20 great has won many matches on his own, with bat and bowl, and Ramandeep wants to replicate that same success. “As an all-rounder myself, my role model is Andre Russell. I want to have the same impact as him. When I go to the crease, there should be fear in the opposition that I will take the game away. I want to create that kind of impact for India,” the batting all-rounder added.
Ramandeep also got help from Russell when it came to his range-hitting. The result of that training has been fruitful as we just saw him score 64 runs in the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 against Afghanistan. “Gautam sir planned 30-minute range-hitting sessions, and Russell made sure he was with me. His insights helped me a lot during the IPL,” he concluded.
India squad for South Africa T20Is
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal
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