World Cup 2019: Navdeep Saini is ready for his big moment

Saini's terrific bowling drew the attention of the selectors and, as a result, he became the sole bowler among the standbys with the others being Ambati Rayudu and Rishabh Pant

It was one of the biggest moments for Delhi speedster Navdeep Saini when he was drafted in India’s standbys list for the upcoming World Cup 2019. After having a splendid outing in the recent domestic season, he continued his sublime form in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). His terrific bowling drew the attention of the selectors and, as a result, he became the sole bowler among the standbys with the others being Ambati Rayudu and Rishabh Pant. After grabbing one of the greatest opportunities in his career, the young speedster says, he is ‘ready’ for the challenge. “Absolutely (I'm ready)... The confidence of doing well in IPL will give me a big boost. If I get a chance in the World Cup, I hope to do well,” said Saini.

On his World Cup preparation, he said, “We talk during the matches but the most important thing is to pay full attention at the nets. If you do well at the nets, you will do well in a match as well. “My dad has always told me to give your 110 per cent effort wherever you play. I'm putting in that extra effort always in practice session and in a match,” he added. The 26-year-old is also gaining from the vast experience of South African great Dale Steyn who has come on board as a replacement for Nathan Coulter-Nile. “I had a discussion with him on the eve of the match. He just told me to bowl the same way and not try anything different,” Saini said. Saini returned with figures 1/31 taking the prized-scalp of the explosive KKR opener Sunil Narine. Impressed with the bounce at Eden Gardens, he said, “I have bowled on other wickets but never generated this kind of bounce anywhere. The plan was to bowl length deliveries as I was getting that extra bounce. “Against (Andre) Russell, the strategy was to hit the deck hard to generate a bit of extra bounce,” he added.