Gurinder Sandhu, a 20-year-old pacer who has his roots in Chandigarh, is among the six most promising Australian fast bowlers undergoing training at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai.
Gurinder, who was born in Australia to Punjabi parents, is being trained under former Aussie quicks like Craig McDermott and Glenn McGrath.
The tall and well-built Gurinder's rise up in the ranks in New South Wales has been rapid. This year he was awarded the Steve Waugh Medal -- given to the state's best domestic player -- following an impressive debut season in first-class cricket which saw him grab 14 wickets in just two games and 18 List A wickets in just six games. A call-up to the Australia 'A' team, which tours South Africa in July-August just before the Ashes, has followed his good showing in domestic cricket.
Gurinder was also the first player of Indian origin to represent Australia at the under-19 level.
"I started just like any other kid in the backyard but it was a pretty quick rise after playing in the under-19 World Cup with Shield games and one-day games for my state," said Gurinder.
Australia lost the final of the under-19 World Cup to India, and this was a huge disappointment for Gurinder.
"I had a decent time at the under-19 World Cup, but I would've liked to have won the final which we lost to India," he rued.
Gurinder's visits to India have been regular. "My family has roots in Chandigarh and so we try and visit India every 3-4 years. I can speak a bit of Hindi too," the cricketer revealed.
McDermott, the former Aussie spearhead who is training Gurinder, felt the youngster could be knocking on the doors of the national side very soon.
"There are opportunities. There are obviously 3 or 4 older quicks who have established their place but there's always opportunity for guys like Gurinder. The key is to stay fit and keep putting pressure on the guys who are in the team," said McDermott.
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