Balwinder Sandhu
Encyclopedia
Balwinder Singh Sandhu (born August 3, 1956) is a former Indian
Test
cricket
er. He represented India in eight Test matches as a medium pace bowler who could swing the ball and was a useful batsman.
A late starter in cricket, Sandhu's break came when he was spotted during a summer coaching camp by the former first class cricketer Yeshwant 'Baba' Sidhaye. Next year, he came under the influence of the famous coach Ramakant Achrekar
and later the Ranji
player Hemu Dalvi.
Sandhu's chance in first class cricket came in 1980-81 when Karsan Ghavri
, the regular opening bowler for Bombay, was away with the national side. Sandhu did not play in the first two matches of the season but then his debut against Gujarat where he claimed nine wickets. He was not part of the side to play in the final against Delhi
that season, but was included at the last moment when the originally chosen Ravi Kulkarni dropped out. In a sensational spell, he reduced Delhi to 18-5 on the first morning and finished with nine wickets in the match. His 25 wickets in the season came at an average of 18.72.
Early in the 1982-83 season, in the Duleep Trophy
match for West Zone against South he took eight wickets and scored 56 while batting at No.11. Another five wicket haul in the Irani Trophy
put him in the Indian team that toured Pakistan
.
Following a heel bone injury to Madan Lal
, Sandhu made his debut in the fourth Test at Hyderabad. His first two wicekts came off successive balls when he dismissed Mohsin Khan
and Haroon Rashid
. Those were India's only successes for a long time as Javed Miandad
and Mudassar Nazar
then went about setting a world record partnership. Sandhu scored 71 quick runs batting at No.9.
He scored 68 in the first innings at Bridgetown
against West Indies following an Indian collapse. In the next Test, his opening spell reduced West Indies to three down for one run.
Sandhu played a significant role in the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup
. Batting at No.11 in the final, he put on 22 runs with Syed Kirmani
during which he was hit on his head by a bouncer
. Later he famously clean bowled Gordon Greenidge
by a huge inswinger
which the batsman had left alone. His last Test was also against West Indies later that year at Ahmedabad
. He took a single wicket in that match, which was the only that was missed by Kapil Dev
who took 9 for 83 in the same innings. Thereafter he did little in any form of cricket. His 98 against Tamil Nadu
was important in Bombay taking the first innings lead in the Ranji semifinal of 1984-85.
He served as the coach of Mumbai
and Punjab, and worked with the National Cricket Academy. In the 1990s he played club cricket in Kenya
and did some coaching there.
Currently he is associated with the Indian Cricket League
(ICL) and lives at Neelkanth Gardens in Govandi near Chembur, Mumbai.
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. He represented India in eight Test matches as a medium pace bowler who could swing the ball and was a useful batsman.
A late starter in cricket, Sandhu's break came when he was spotted during a summer coaching camp by the former first class cricketer Yeshwant 'Baba' Sidhaye. Next year, he came under the influence of the famous coach Ramakant Achrekar
Ramakant Achrekar
Ramakant Achrekar is an Indian cricket coach from Mumbai . He is most famous for coaching young cricketers at Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai...
and later the Ranji
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
player Hemu Dalvi.
Sandhu's chance in first class cricket came in 1980-81 when Karsan Ghavri
Karsan Ghavri
Karsan Devjibhai Ghavri is a former Indian cricketer who played in 39 Tests and 19 ODIs from 1974 to 1981. He played in the 1975 and 1979 World Cups....
, the regular opening bowler for Bombay, was away with the national side. Sandhu did not play in the first two matches of the season but then his debut against Gujarat where he claimed nine wickets. He was not part of the side to play in the final against Delhi
Delhi cricket team
The Delhi cricket team is one of the first-class cricket teams, that plays in India's domestic competition, the Ranji Trophy. They have won the tournament seven times and have been runners-up seven. Their latest title in 2007-08 came after a long wait of 16 years. The previous win was in the...
that season, but was included at the last moment when the originally chosen Ravi Kulkarni dropped out. In a sensational spell, he reduced Delhi to 18-5 on the first morning and finished with nine wickets in the match. His 25 wickets in the season came at an average of 18.72.
Early in the 1982-83 season, in the Duleep Trophy
Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition played in India between teams representing geographical zones of India. The competition is named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji .-History:...
match for West Zone against South he took eight wickets and scored 56 while batting at No.11. Another five wicket haul in the Irani Trophy
Irani Trophy
The Irani Cup tournament was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship and was named after the late Z.R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970...
put him in the Indian team that toured Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Following a heel bone injury to Madan Lal
Madan Lal
Madan Lal Udhouram Sharma is a former Indian cricketer and Indian national cricket coach. He currently coaches Delhi Giants in the Indian Cricket League...
, Sandhu made his debut in the fourth Test at Hyderabad. His first two wicekts came off successive balls when he dismissed Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Hasan Khan is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 48 Tests and 75 ODIs from 1977 to 1986 mainly as an opening batsman.-Life and Career:...
and Haroon Rashid
Haroon Rashid (cricketer)
Haroon Rasheed Dar is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 23 Tests and 12 ODIs from 1977 to 1983. He has also remained the manager of the Pakistan Cricket team and has been credited with the discovery of Waqar Younis and Shahid Khan Afridi....
. Those were India's only successes for a long time as Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad
Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan , popularly known as Javed Miandad , is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1975 and 1996. He is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Test cricket. He has served as a captain of the Pakistan national cricket team...
and Mudassar Nazar
Mudassar Nazar
Mudassar Nazar is a former Pakistani cricketer with a career in Test cricket for Pakistan and in league cricket in Pakistan and England...
then went about setting a world record partnership. Sandhu scored 71 quick runs batting at No.9.
He scored 68 in the first innings at Bridgetown
Kensington Oval
The Kensington Oval is located to the west of the capital-city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. "The Oval" is one of the major sporting facilities on the island and is primarily used for cricket...
against West Indies following an Indian collapse. In the next Test, his opening spell reduced West Indies to three down for one run.
Sandhu played a significant role in the Indian team that won the 1983 World Cup
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
. Batting at No.11 in the final, he put on 22 runs with Syed Kirmani
Syed Kirmani
Padma Sri Syed Mujtaba Hussain Kirmani played cricket for India and Karnataka as a wicket-keeper.-International career:...
during which he was hit on his head by a bouncer
Bouncer (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a bouncer is a type of delivery, usually bowled by a fast bowler. It is pitched short so that it bounces on the pitch well short of the batsman and rears up to chest or head height as it reaches the batsman.Bouncers are used tactically to drive the batsman back on to his...
. Later he famously clean bowled Gordon Greenidge
Gordon Greenidge
Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge MBE is a former member of the West Indies cricket team.Greenidge was an opening batsman for the West Indies. He began his Test career against India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore in 1974 and continued playing internationally until 1991. He was half of the West...
by a huge inswinger
Inswinger
An inswinger is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is bowled by swing bowlers.-Grip:An inswinger is bowled by holding the cricket ball with the seam vertical and the first two fingers slightly across the seam so that it is angled a little to the leg side...
which the batsman had left alone. His last Test was also against West Indies later that year at Ahmedabad
Sardar Patel Stadium
Sardar Patel Stadium is one of the premier Cricket stadiums of India located in the Motera locality of Ahmedabad. Because of its location, the stadium is commonly called Motera Stadium to avoid confusion with another stadium of the same name in Navrangpura locality of Ahmedabad. Sardar Patel...
. He took a single wicket in that match, which was the only that was missed by Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...
who took 9 for 83 in the same innings. Thereafter he did little in any form of cricket. His 98 against Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu cricket team
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Team ; , competes in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy, the top cricketing competition in India. The team finished as runners-up behind Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons establishing themselves as one of the strongest teams in the country...
was important in Bombay taking the first innings lead in the Ranji semifinal of 1984-85.
He served as the coach of Mumbai
Mumbai cricket team
The Mumbai cricket team is a cricket team representing the city of Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. It is the most successful team in the Ranji Trophy, India's top domestic cricket competition, with 39 titles, the most recent being in 2009–10. The team's home ground is the Wankhede Stadium in...
and Punjab, and worked with the National Cricket Academy. In the 1990s he played club cricket in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and did some coaching there.
Currently he is associated with the Indian Cricket League
Indian Cricket League
The Indian Cricket League was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India...
(ICL) and lives at Neelkanth Gardens in Govandi near Chembur, Mumbai.