Navdeep Saini, whose shyness masks his aggression, is a captain's delight. He goes about his task clinically and delivers what is expected of him.
Drafted in as replacement for Deepak Chahar, Saini - who used to bowl selflessly in the Indian nets - impressed on his ODI debut to return two for 58 (30 runs coming in two slog overs) here on Sunday.
Saini, who made his T20I debut memorable by picking up three wickets against the same opponent earlier this year, also proved his worth in the 50-over format.
He was welcomed by Evin Lewis with two fours, including a cracking straight drive off the first ball, but the wiry pacer fought back in style as he conceded only four runs in his next three overs.
Saini came back to bowl a dream spell of 3-0-10-2 and make his mark. The dangerous-looking Shimron Hetmyer pulled him high to be caught by Kuldeep Yadav at fine-leg in the first over of his second spell.
The well-set Roston Chase was done in by an accurate and fast yorker in Saini’s next over.
Spotted and backed to the hilt by former India opener and ex-Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir six years ago, the bowler hailing from Haryana has mixed dedication with skills to earn his place in the India side.
"My dad always asks me to give my 110 per cent. I always put in that extra effort, in practice sessions as well as matches,” Saini had said on being named a standby for the World Cup-bound India squad.
For his usefulness, 27-year-old Saini - who recovered from injuries to make an impact for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League this year - won appreciation from Ashish Nehra.
"He has all the ingredients to be a good bowler. He has pace and bounce and, most importantly, he's confident," Nehra, who served as RCB bowling coach, had said.
His sterling performance should help Saini, who has picked up 125 wickets in 45 First Class matches, grow in confidence and play for the country for a long time.
