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Follow UsCricket wasn’t Nishant Sindhu’s first sport. It wasn’t even the sport that he had considered for the longest time, with his dad Sunil being a state-level boxer. Boxing was perhaps something that would have naturally occurred to him.
But then a meeting with former Haryana first-class cricketer Ashwani Kumar, who also has coached the likes of Shafali Verma to the Indian heights, changed everything for the all-rounder. Not only did he ace as a left-arm spinner, but also possessed the unreal ability to be a zen-like figure with the bat in hand.
At the U-16 level, the left-handed amassed 572 runs and bagged 23 wickets in the U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy in 2018-19, leading a young Haryana team over a strong opposition like Jharkhand. Leadership was something that came naturally to him.
The first sign of that was him leading Haryana to a monumental victory over Jharkhand. He didn’t stop there, stepping in for India’s U-19 team in the Caribbean, where he emerged from the shadow in the absence of both Yash Dhull and Shaik Rasheed, where he captained them to crucial wins.
"Especially for the Ireland game, Sindhu had no planning - he went on the fly. I had known that he had led Haryana U-19s to the domestic cricket championship, so I knew there was a leader within him,” India’s then U-19 head coach, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, said.
Since then, the left-hander has never looked back, including scoring 921 runs at the first-class level averaging 40.04, and thus even earning a bid from the five-time IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings. Whilst Sindhu never got the opportunity to feature in the starting XI, he got something greater: the opportunity to learn from his childhood idol, Ravindra Jadeja.
Jadeja’s experience was invaluable for an evolving Sindhu. And that was evident when he turned up for North Zone, scoring a 150. So, everything that had to be working worked in Sindhu’s favour. The 2023 ACC Men's Emerging Cup couldn’t have come up at a better time.
Whilst going wicketless in the first game against UAE A, he scalped the crucial wicket of Nepal’s skipper Rohit Paudel in the second clash to start a collapse before eventually cleaning up the tail with a four-wicket haul. That was just perhaps a trailer for things to come.
India’s qualification to the semi-final was fairly straightforward. But then came their biggest obstacle: Bangladesh A. Whilst this match-up might look lopsided, the fact that Bangladesh’s U-19 side (2020), which beat India in the final, would have definitely put a few jitters in the Indian camp.
It almost seemed like Sindhu’s day to shine was right here in Colombo on Friday (July 21) when he was promoted to No.5, considering how spin-hitting was right up his alley. His task was to take on the left-arm spin of Rakibul Hasan, but then he got out trying to go for the glory shot. There was some doubt when India was shot out for 211.
Those doubts then grew in stature when Bangladesh’s openers raced away to 70 without any response from India in just the 12th over of the innings. India were staring at a cold exit, but then the left-arm spin of Sindhu worked like a charm.
First, the left-arm spinner dismissed an in-form Tanzid Hasan for 51 before an outstanding grab from Nikin Jose helped Sindhu pick his second on the night. While the other Bangladeshi batters didn’t really help their own cause, the consistency with which the left-arm spinner bowled was worth primetime.
Not only did he end up with five wickets, but figures of 5/20 in 8.2 overs, showing that his consistency will only make him more lethal in the coming days.
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None of this would have materialised in this order if Manav Suthar didn’t strike first. Unlike fellow left-arm spinner Sindhu, Suthar’s stellar growth came from a humble background. His dad, Jagdeesh Suthar, was a mere physical education teacher, and it was he who spotted Manav’s talent at a very young age.
“He was very athletic from a very young age. I noticed that he was more keen towards cricket. He would bowl for hours with a tennis ball inside the house. It was a one step bowling. I think he was 11, when I took him to the academy and he has lived up to my expectations. I wanted him to excel in sport; I am glad that he is doing well,” Jagadeesh told the Indian Express.
His dad’s dream was always for him to excel in sport, and Manav did exactly that: he excelled in cricket and picked up 90 wickets in a year for Rajasthan. He didn’t stop there, with 39 wickets in six games, only making steadier progress.
Suthar started the downfall of Bangladesh with a peach to remove Mohammad Naim. Then he went around the wicket to turn the ball sharply back into the left-handed Zakir Hasan. It was only fitting that the left-arm spinner finished the proceedings with the wicket of Ripon Mondol, ending with figures of 3/32.
On a night when Bangladesh threatened to destroy India’s plans, it was the left-arm spin of Sindhu and Suthar who proved that left is the new right.
