All-rounder Ramandeep Singh caught the imagination of the cricketing world with his impressive exploits in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.
The 27-year-old played the role of a finisher in Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) title winning campaign, scoring 125 runs in 14 matches at a fantastic strike rate of 201.61.
Thanks to his IPL brilliance, Ramandeep earned a place in the India A squad for the recently held Emerging Asia Cup. He slammed 64 off 34 balls against Afghanistan A in the semi-final, but the knock went in vain as India succumbed to a 20-run defeat.
Ramandeep has now received his maiden India call-up for the upcoming four-T20I series against South Africa, starting November 8 in Durban.
In an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, Ramandeep Singh opened up on the backing he received from current India head coach and former KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir during IPL 2024.
"Gautam sir told me I would be batting at No. 7 and No. 8 and advised me to prepare accordingly," said Ramandeep.
“During an intra-squad match at KKR, my side needed six runs off two balls to win, and I clinched the match with a six. Gautam sir told me, ‘You are my favourite cricketer in this team, and I will back you throughout the tournament. You should never play with fear’," he added.
If Ramandeep makes his T20I debut in South Africa next month, he won't be having Gambhir around as the head coach would be travelling to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
National Cricket Academy head VVS Laxman will reportedly serve India as head coach during the T20I series against South Africa.
During the IPL 2024 season, Ramandeep Singh batted at No.7 or No.8 and he provided crucial finishing touches.
“Before the IPL, when we had a camp in Mumbai under Abhishek Nayar, I was given a clear role about what the team expected from me. I told myself that I had to perform extraordinarily to catch everyone’s attention," he said.
“My role in the team is to create an impact. It is clearly defined for me: face fewer balls and score more runs," he added.
Ramandeep also highlighted the role of Andre Russell in improving his power-hitting techniques. “As an all-rounder myself, my role model is Andre Russell. I want to have the same impact as him. When I go to the crease, there should be fear in the opposition that I will take the game away. I want to create that kind of impact for India," he revealed.
"Gautam sir planned 30-minute range-hitting sessions, and Russell made sure he was with me. His insights helped me a lot during the IPL," he further stated.
Speaking about Russell, Ramandeep said, "Look, he is very powerful, but he also follows the basics. He has a strong base, a still head, and a full swing of the hands. He makes sure he perfects these fundamentals during those range-hitting sessions. From the outside, we think he just muscles every ball out of the park, but it’s his clarity with the basics that allows him to hit those sixes."
