The Find of the U-19 World Cup: Harmeet Singh

As the Indian U-19 cricket team prepares to lock horns with their Australian counterparts in the under 19 world cup final, it will be fair to say that a stern test awaits Indians, as beating Australia in their own backyard has always been a tough proposition for any team at whatever level. Nevertheless, Indians have earned the right to contest for the trophy on the back of some attacking cricket right throughout the tournament. More so, it’s heartening to witness Indian bowlers stepping forward to shoulder the responsibility and in the process, they have been mainly accountable for the success of the team thus far.

One of the emerging stars in the potent bowling attack has been left arm spinner Harmeet Singh. The tall, lanky lad from Mumbai has come a long way from playing at the Shivaji Gymkhana Academy under the guidance of former cricketer Pravin Amre to represent India on the world stage. With only three first class matches under his belt, he has shown loads of maturity and a calm head in some of the tense games in the ongoing tournament. So much so that, he has even garnered praise from cricketing stalwarts like Ian Chappell and Sanjay Manjrekar to name a few, who have been quick to remark that his bowling action is reminiscent of former great Bishan Singh Bedi.

Throughout the world cup, Harmeet’s economical spells have been instrumental in turning the tide in India’s favour, the prime example being the quaterfinal clash against Pakistan. It was a cliff hangar, where Harmeet conceded a mere 20 runs in his 10 overs , taking a wicket to restrict Pakistan to a paltry 135. If that was not enough, he came back to score a crucial 13 runs which ultimately made the difference. The winning runs too came off his blade, a heave over mid-wicket which sealed the match for India. Harmeet has succeeded to extract turn and bounce from the track at the Tony Ireland stadium at Townsville which has been more conducive for the seamers. In the semifinal against the Kiwis too, he made his presence felt with a tight spell giving away only 30 runs with two wickets in his kitty that helped India in successfully defending the score of 209. Both of his wickets were a classic left armer’s dismissal, luring the batsmen into driving the ball and getting a healthy edge. Also, he has mixed his pace very well with hardly any change in bowling action, which always keeps the batsman guessing.

Harmeet made his first class debut for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh in 2009-10 season and immediately made a big impact with his 7 wicket haul. Thereafter, he was signed by Deccan Chargers to play in the IPL. It is impressive to see Harmeet giving the ball more air and flight even during the death overs which requires a big heart. He certainly has potential with the bat too. In the 2011-12 Cooch Behar trophy final against Maharashtra U-19, he did a star run with the bat, scoring a patient 65. Harmeet has become quite a draw with his eerie ability to deceive batsmen in flight. Whether this ploy works against the Aussies in tomorrow’s final is something we’ll have to wait and see. But one thing is certain – this young lad has oodles of pragmatism which guarantees a bright future ahead and a possible way into the senior side.