Mumbai’s 21-year-old Himanshu Singh boldly claimed to have bowled both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during the net sessions ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.
Himanshu Singh was among the net bowlers at India’s six-day preparatory camp ahead of the home Test season in Chennai. The youngster also claimed that beating Virat Kohli gives him more satisfaction than Rohit Sharma.
Recently, Himanshu produced a match-winning spell for Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy match against Odisha. He finished with outstanding figures of 3-52 and 4-77 across the two innings of the match and helped Mumbai register a strong innings victory.
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“It was more satisfying to beat Virat Kohli bhai” – Himanshu Singh
Speaking to the media after Mumbai’s win, Himanshu Singh spoke about bowling with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in India’s net session ahead of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh.
The young player claimed that he can beat both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the nets, but admitted that beating Kohli is more satisfying than beating Rohit. He also spoke to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja about his pre-match preparation.
“I lost to them (Rohit and Kohli) and beat both of them but beating Virat bhai was more satisfying. I spoke to (Ravindra) Jadeja about his preparations etc,” Himanshu told the media.
“I went there (Chennai) first, (playing in the Ranji (Trophy)) was for me later. After bowling against senior players there, my confidence grew. The confidence is reflected here now and I’m happy about that,” he said, citing pure experience in giving him confidence for the Ranji Trophy.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are going through one of the toughest phases in their career so far. The star duo have failed miserably in India’s home Test season. Both will be under pressure to perform in the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia.
Himanshu Singh reveals his idols
When asked about his idols, Himanshu replied that he learned bowling from Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon. The 21-year-old is aware that he still has a long way to go and is focusing on learning everything at the moment.
“I follow only two bowlers in the whole world, Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin. Everything I’ve learned in terms of off-spin bowling in white and red ball cricket is from watching them bowl,” Himanshu said.
“It was my third game. I have a long way to go. I can’t say I agree, but it was all about learning,” he added.
Two of the best spinners in Test cricket
Both Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon are currently among the top two spinners in Test cricket. The careers of both legends went hand-in-hand with each other in tough competition for records.
Although both are underdogs, Lyon and Ashwin have different abilities and skills but are equally successful. Both will face each other in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
