The curious case of Harmeet Singh

[game_changerr]

India U-19 World Cup star frustrated with lack of opportunities at domestic level Harmeet Singh is becoming a curious case in Indian cricket. One of the stars of the 2012 U-19 World Cup triumph in Australia, the left-arm spinner is now left wondering why he was not given adequate opportunities at the domestic level. After not being picked in the Ranji Trophy-winning Mumbai squad, he was ignored for the Ajit Agarkar-led Mumbai team that plays the inter-state one-day tournament in Pune from today. Harmeet couldnÃÕ even find a place in the Mumbai University team. Ū expected a place in the Mumbai one-day squad and the University team at least. Am I so bad that I cannot be included in any of the teams? asked Harmeet during a chat with MiD DAY yesterday. Å¢fter the U-19 World Cup, I got injured (finger injury). I was asked to prove my fitness in the two U-25 games where I bowled 25 to 30 overs. Though I didnÃÕ get wickets in those matches, I bowled at a decent economy rate. Illness Ū was then down with viral fever for two weeks and lost out on playing a few local matches. By then, Mumbai had already reached the knockout stage (in the Ranji Trophy), the 20-year-old said. HarmeetÃÔ talent impressed former Australia captain and MiD DAY columnist Ian Chappell, who remarked that the Mumbai lad reminded him of India spin great Bishan Singh Bedi. He also advocated that Harmeet and skipper Unmukt Chand be drafted into the senior India team. After a good showing at the World Cup, it was fair to expect Harmeet to be part of the Mumbai team. Å®any people asked me why I did not play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. I just kept quiet because I had nothing to say, said Harmeet, who made a spectacular first-class debut, grabbing a seven-wicket match haul for Mumbai against Himachal Pradesh in 2009-10. He played one more match that season before taking his maiden fifer in his third match against Tamil Nadu in the 2010-11 season. He has been ignored since. Harmeet was confident of getting a look-in after claiming four for 45 for Rest of India in the Irani Cup against 2011-12 Ranji champions Rajasthan. Though he did not have a good Challenger Trophy (one wicket in three matches for India ã?, Harmeet picked up four wickets in a Duleep Trophy match for West Zone. Last November, against an England Performance Programme team that had the likes of Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter, Harmeet claimed two for 127 and scored 25 runs for DY Patil Academy at Nerul. Recently, he played the DY Patil T20 Cup, claiming five wickets in as many games for his employers Air India. Ū may not have got many wickets, but I didnÃÕ concede more than three-four runs an over (in that tournament). I just need one good season. I have been training hard, working on new deliveries and variations. I am also working on my batting and was able to win the last few matches for Air India with the bat. But I need opportunities. At least give me a chance and then decide my fate. I will be happy that I tried my best, pleaded Harmeet. Now... IPL! Harmeet, who was recently signed by Rajasthan Royals, is banking on the Indian Premier League to thrive once again. Ūt is going to be crucial for me. I am hoping for a turnaround if I do well in the IPL. Rahul Sir (Dravid) called me before I signed the contract. He told me I will get enough opportunities, he said. The IPL will keep Harmeet busy for two months. But what next? Ū donÃÕ know. This season has almost gone waiting for an opportunity. I donÃÕ know how much I can wait in the next season. I have to think about my future now, Harmeet signed off. src-mid-day

[game_changerr]

should have played for mumbai,,anyway hope he wil be included in mumbai side dis year

[bharat297]

I am a fan of his but he's got to make sure he doesn;t come across as complaining. I'm not sure how much is lost in translation but if he feels he is not getting opportunities in Mumbai then go to another team. He's a very talented spinner and can be a genuine attacking spinner for India in the future.

[Ultimate_Game]

Hope he moves to another state/team. He was the one player who looked ready for intl cricket in the u-19 world cup and definitely deserves opportunities.

[PBN]

If some tweets are to be believed, then he was left out of the Mumbai squad due to indiscipline. He asked for a NOC to go play for another team but it was rejected. Anyways ignoring that, he's also had a few injuries and there's stiff competition in the Mumbai squad for spinners. There's Ankit Chavan, who has performed really well and even taken over the likes of Iqbal Abdulla. Not sure if an IPL stint would actually help a young spinner but atleast it is good that Harmeet will be under the guidance of a a great icon, Rahul Dravid. Dravid could guide the youngster and put things into perspective.

[Clarke]

Young nerves; hang in there kid, there's plenty to come.

[Crookbond]

Mumbai team culture has never been kind to players who are indisciplined. This is just how Mumbai cricket is run and considering some of the players on the international arena, thank god for that. I remember once how Muzumdar (or Jaffer) castigated Rohit Sharma in public around 2007/08 season just after throwing his wicket away in successive games (this was after we won the WT20). Now, he's got an IPL contract so just needs to hang on and perform against CSK. :wink2:

[Ankur Upadhyay]

He was very impressive in U-19 wc. I really liked his ability to flight the ball on regular basis..

[saneindian]

How many wickets did he pick in the age group cricket, u-22 and u-25 matches he played? Hardly any. If he feels he's being denied his place, go and prove it by taking loads of wickets in the cricket you play rather than cribbing in the media.

[Needforspeed]

Mumbai cricket is run very professionally, but somehow its been always difficult for youngsters to break-in. I think Harmeet would be better off opting for lesser teams like Maharashtra or Saurashtra if he plans to continue living in Mumbai.