Left-arm pacer Barinder Sran, who was picked by KXIP for INR 2.20 crores during the auction in January, has turned out to be the ‘Bhangra’ mentor for his Punjab teammates in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
In an exclusive interview with KXIP’s official website, Sran himself revealed it when he was asked about the atmosphere in the dressing room.
“I think everyone has gelled up nicely. We do a bit of bhangra whenever we get a chance. Everyone is fond of Punjabi music anyway. I’ve taught them some bhangra moves as well so it’s quite nice, and Chris Gayle is always dancing. Soon, I’ll have a bhangra competition with him,” Sran said.
Having made his international debut against Australia at Perth in January 2016, Sran has represented India in six ODIs and two T20Is thus far. Indian cricket team is doing reasonably well in limited-overs cricket lately, but their hunt for a good left-arm fast bowler is still on. No wonder, the lanky Punjab paceman is considered to be the one for future.
Talking about his cricketing journey so far, Sran said: “I was playing cricket since childhood, so I thought that’s what I should pursue. I gave trials for KXIP in Mohali before starting my professional cricket, and I was one of the 40 boys selected. But at that time, I had no idea what a leather season ball was, what kind of spikes to wear, and so on.”
“I just came in and bowled. After the trials, I understood this is how professional cricket is played. The physio at that time, who is now the physio of the Indian cricket team, told me to start playing it properly. That’s how my journey began. KXIP has definitely had a big impact on my career, and I am happy to finally represent them,” he explained.
When asked how was it playing cricket in his village, the 25-year-old said: “We had a house in the middle of fields - an open area like a farmhouse and we used to play there all the time. All the boys used to get together and play. We started from the house and then as we grew up, we used to go to the government school ground. I think I was in 9th or 10th standard when I started playing more often. We used to play with tennis balls, and even played tennis ball tournaments.”
In IPL 2018, Sran has played only one game for KXIP as of now. Speaking about the KXIP bowler he would like to bowl in tandem with, the left-arm pacer named Mohit Sharma without any hesitation.
“Mohit (Sharma) bhai, for sure! He is a senior and gives me good advice. It will be fun to bowl along with him as he can suggest what to bowl to which batsman,” Srna concluded.
KXIP have played some marvellous cricket in IPL 2018 thus far. They have won two out of their three matches and are currently placed at No. 3 in the points table.
