Found my rhythm in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Barinder Sran

Punjab bowler Barinder Sran, who has recovered from his recent injuries looks to start afresh in the upcoming IPL season and resurrect his international career. Sran is a left-arm fast bowler but he could just as easily have been a boxer. The days of training at Bhiwani Boxing Club, whose founder had trained India’s Olympic medallist Vijender Singh, are in the past now. The 25-year-old has taken great strides ever since his foray into cricket and had represented India in six ODI and two T20 games.

However, it will be tough for the youngster to break into the Indian squad as they already have a set bowling attack with an equally stronger bench. But Sran is banking on the left-arm factor. “My advantage is that I am a lefty; of course, I need to perform too,” he reasoned.

Talking to Sportstar, he said, “I am satisfied with the auction. If we play in Mohali, it will be an added advantage as it has been my home ground. I was fit before the Ranji Trophy and I played two or three games. But I found my rhythm from Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.”

Sran boasts of impressive statistics

The left-arm pacer is now ready to breathe fire once more for Kings XI Punjab after he was bought for Rs 2.20 crore (from a base price of Rs 50 lakh) at the auction last weekend.

Gifted with a classical follow-through that looks like a mirror image of Brett Lee, Sran had enjoyed a fiery ODI debut against Australia in Perth in 2016. He finished with figures of 3/56. A few months later, on his T20 debut against Zimbabwe in Harare, he claimed a dominating 4/10, before a shoulder injury and a troublesome right knee paused his progress for six months.

The lanky pacer claimed eight wickets in four games in the recent domestic season, which includes a 3/22 and a 3/19 against Rajasthan and Haryana respectively. During the lull, Sran kept searching for avenues to stage a comeback.