Published: Sep 22, 2015, 12:22 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 22, 2015, 12:22 PM (IST)
Gurkeerat Singh Mann’s selection in India One-Day International (ODI) squad for the upcoming series against South Africa may have surprised few people, however, the all-rounder’s long-time coach, Sukhwinder Singh Tinku, had foreseen this day long back. Speaking to Indian Express, Tinku said, “In terms of learning, he was certainly way ahead of other students. Whatever I used to teach him in batting technique, he used to correct it the very next day. When I realized that he was performing extraordinarily in his age group, I put him in the senior age group.” Gurkeerat was more popular for his one-handed catch during IPL 2013 before his all-round performance saw India A beat Bangladesh A in the first unofficial ODI at Bangalore last week. Gurkeerat Singh gets reward of consistent domestic performances
“He is good against spinners, solid at defence, powerful in hitting and good off both backfoot as well as front foot. Where other batsmen would defend a certain delivery, he would play a big shot. So you would think that he is playing very fast, but actually he is playing normal. Actually his basics are very strong. So every format looks easy. He’s intelligent when it comes to picking his moments with the bat. Actually his bowling action is very good. His point of delivery lends him a great advantage to be accurate. He has immense control even if he doesn’t spin it too much,” Tinku said. Gurkeerat Singh Mann stars in India A’s 96-run win over Bangladesh A
Touted as a replacement for Ravindra Jadeja, Tinku goes on to reveal that Gurkeerat almost once turned his back on the game once. “He got angry with me as if I wasn’t helping him get picked. So I told him that it is a process. And I can’t help you in it. The only think I can do is to make you practice harder and stand next to you.” MS Dhoni to lead India in limited-overs against South Africa; Gurkeerat included in ODI squad
Speaking about Gurkeerat’s fielding, one of his teammate said, “Our coach once asked the groundsman to make puddles on the field and then Gurkeerat would demonstrate the art of falling on the ground. All of us then tried to be perfect like him but couldn’t match his perfection.”
