After Sachin Tendulkar, I idolise Virat Kohli: Mandeep Singh

Punjab notched up a seven-wicket win against Uttar Pradesh yesterday, chasing down the modest 112 runs with ease in the morning session of the final day. After finishing he third day at 61/2, overnight batsman Jiwanjot Singh carried forward the chase and hit 69 off 82 ball to star take home his team.

Another key contributor to the win was Mandeep Singh. Before Jiwanjot Singh piloted the chase, it was Mandeep Singh in the middle order, who struck a crucial 63 and brought back Punjab in the contest. The star batsman had earlier missed two matches for his side after being named in the One-Day International squad for the five-match New Zealand One-Day International series. Even though he didn’t play a game in the series, Mandeep is keen on moving forward to help Punjab progress in the domestic competition.

“I think these things are not in my hand if I has to be honest,” he said to Cricbuzz when asked about not getting a game against the visiting New Zealand team. Candid in response, he agreed that he might have gotten a look in had India wrapped up the series earlier. “I kind of expected that I will get one or two chances but the situation was such that we were tied you know 2-2, probably that was the reason I didn’t get a game, let’s see maybe in the next tour I may get a game, but still I have to keep on performing.

“I really care about my Punjab team. This current batch we have done well in junior cricket so we really want to do well for the senior side as well, so at the moment I’m really focusing on the Ranji Trophy and want to win games for Punjab.”

Also, read  – Prime Minister Narendra Modi delighted by Anil Kumble’s praise

Mandeep gained first-hand experience of international cricket earlier this year in Zimbabwe where he made his debut in the first T20 International in Harare. He was given the opportunity to play n the full three-match series and also scored his first fifty in international cricket when he smashed an unbeaten 52 in the second game.

“Debut was great, dream come true,” he said. “Obviously, since childhood I had dreamt about it. So it is the biggest thing that has happened to me till date, can’t express my feelings actually.”

Personally, though, the 24-year-old found the Australian tour with the India A team more challenging. And understandably so, considering the quality of the opposition he faced in the quadrangular series in those challenging conditions.

After initially struggling in the tournament, Mandeep managed to deliver on the big stage by scoring 95 in the final which India won. “Australia was amazing, it was very tough for the batters, because first of all the grounds were big and we are not used to those huge grounds over here,” he said.

Also, read – Kieron Pollard granted NOC for South Africa T20 league Ram Slam and BBL

“I think the inner field was very slow, the ball didn’t travel, so we really had to run hard all the time and obviously the ball was seaming around. If you see, there aren’t many players who have scored runs over there so it was great, last two games I performed well, especially in the finals I did well, so I think it really boosted my confidence, especially playing against Australia, I think that tour was more important than the Zimbabwe tour. It was very competitive.”

Playing for India A also has the added incentive of learning under the direct supervision of the legendary former India captain Rahul Dravid. And Mandeep is no exception. Dravid’s inputs regarding his mindset a few days before the final helped Mandeep make some mental adjustments which in the end bore fruit.

“Rahul bhai told me that I think a lot, he asked me to relax during games. He thought I get into a too intense mindset during matches. He told me to focus on my net sessions and particularly on the foot-work,” he recalled.

“His teaching made me understand that in conditions like we encountered in Australia, decisive footwork is very important. He told me not to worry about not getting runs in the initial few matches. He made me realise that I think a lot about my technique and there’s not much wrong with it. Zyada practice mat kar, relax kar. (Don’t practice too much, just relax). And that really helped me, in the last four-five days I didn’t practice much, I was keeping it very relaxed and was very happy.”

Also, read – Bengaluru to host Indian Premier League 2017 Auction

But it wasn’t only Dravid who has managed to inspire Mandeep in recent times. The right-hander is full of praise for his current skipper Virat Kohli, whom he idolises. The fact that he can idolise someone who is just three years older than him says a lot about Kohli’s work ethic. “After Sachin Tendulkar, I idolise him,” he exclaimed. “Especially the way he commits himself. That’s the major thing and then the small-small things he takes care of, sleep, diet, training, the way he trains.

“I told myself that if I have to be there, I have to train like him, so that was very inspiring playing with him and spending time with him.”

This year’s IPL though proved to be an indifferent one for Mandeep. He didn’t get enough opportunities to prove his worth in the star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore line-up but when he finally had a chance to bat in the top four, luck didn’t favour him. He got injured after the toss which forced the team management to bring back KL Rahul, who went on to score an unbeaten half-century. Following that knock, Rahul went through a dream run of form which put him above Mandeep in the pecking order.

“He (Rahul) always thanks me for that,” he said. But within a matter of seconds, he reveals how hard the phase was for him as it could have easily been him in Rahul’s place grabbing eyeballs. “I think it’s part and parcel of a sportsman’s career but it was a very hard time honestly because last year I played almost all the games for RCB but this year I didn’t get a chance, it was frustrating a bit but I really used that time to work on my fitness.”

The fact that he kept emphasising on fitness probably highlighted how vital it has now become for a cricketer to keep himself fit in order to keep up with the demands of the game. Getting fitter also helped him run better between the wickets in Australia, by his own admission.

“I really worked hard with Basu sir and I wanted to push myself and see what I can do. I really pushed myself in the training department and that’s what I can do because working hard is in my control, that’s what I decided after a few games that I have to keep practising and maybe this is the time I can improve my fitness even more.”

“And I think in the finals in Australia, that really helped because I hit only ten (11) boundaries in my 95. The ground was huge, I really ran hard and I think that paid off. I really believe that my fitness is pretty good at the moment.”