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Gautam Gambhir, the newly appointed head coach of the Indian cricket team, could revive the career of Navdeep Saini, who hasn’t played international cricket since 2021. The right-arm pacer, who once spoke about owing his life and success to Gautam Gambhir, could get a new lease of life with an India call-up under the new head coach.
Notably, it was Gautam Gambhir, who identified the talent of Navdeep Saini, when he used to play tennis ball cricket. From that point onwards, he helped him play domestic cricket for Delhi before picking him up at Delhi Capitals, then called Delhi Daredevils, during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in 2017.
As per the report from Sports Tak, Sanjay Bhardwaj, the childhood coach of Gautam Gambhir, spoke the following about which players he could pick in the Indian set-up during his coaching tenure. “He could pick players like Kuldeep Yadav and Navdeep Saini (in the India team setup). They are his product. He also followed his instincts on West Indian all-rounder Sunil Narine (during IPL 2024). His observation and cricketing acumen were always outstanding,” said Sanjay Bhardwaj.
While Kuldeep Yadav has resurrected his international career with consistent performances in the past year, Navdeep Saini hasn’t had the opportunity to do the same. In his short career at the international level, he has picked up four wickets in two Tests, six wickets in eight ODIs, and 13 wickets in 11 T20Is.
In the IPL 2024, Navdeep Saini was part of the Rajasthan Royals set-up, but he didn’t get any games throughout the season.
Sanjay Bhardwaj also shared his expectations of Gautam Gambhir in the India head coach role and remarked, “With his batting, he won two World Cups for India in 2007 and 2011. As a player, you helped India win two World Cups, then propelled KKR to three IPL titles. You have a habit of taking up challenges and conquering them; be honest in your approach and repay the country's faith in you,” he added.
