I owe my life to Gautam Gambhir: Navdeep Saini

Soon after his decimation of Bengal in the Ranji Trophy semifinal Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini today said he owes his life and success to former India opener Gautam Gambhir The young speedster bowled one of the most devastating spells of recent times in Indian domestic cricket as Delhi humiliated Bengal by an innings and 26 runs to enter the Ranji Trophy final I owe this life and my success to Gautam Gambhir I was a nobody and Gautam bhaiyaa did everything for me Saini said todayGautam GambhirSaini was full of gratitude for the veteran opener who gave him chance in firstclass cricket The pacer was supposed to go to South Africa as a net bowler but Ankit Rajpoot of UP is being sent instead I was happy that I would go to South Africa but I called up Gautam bhaiyya He said Delhi needs you now for the semifinal and if you do well you will be automatically in that Indian dressing room I didnt think twice said Saini After taking Delhi to the Ranji Trophy final with a careerbest match haul of 7 for 79 against Bengal the 25year spoke about his life bowling and a proud grandfather who was part of the Azad Hind FaujIt was during the 201314 season that former Delhi cricketer Sumit Narwal saw a wirylooking boy from Karnal bowling yorkers at will in a tennis ball tournament Saini was being paid Rs 200 per match and Narwal immediately called up Delhi captain Gambhir to check him out at the nets What Gambhir saw at the nets was enough for him to get into a heated argument with then DDCA vice president Chetan Chauhan to get the player from Haryana into the Delhi team Gautam bhaiya Ashish bhaiya Nehra Mithun Manhas rallied around me They said whats happening in the periphery shouldnt be my concern We will take care of that you only bowl he said recalling the time when DDCA officials were distributing pamphlets to keep him out of the teamTerming the outing against Bengal his best performance Saini said his time with India A has been a turnaround of sorts and he is more aware about his skills nowI cant build on muscles as I will lose out on the pace I generate due to my quick hand speed This is my USP from start Since I could bowl fuller deliveries with tennis ball it helps with leather ball as it generates extra pace Saini explainedComing from a humble background Saini son of a former Haryana government driver has his feet firmly rooted to the ground after 29 firstclass games and an IPL contract with Delhi Daredevils It was difficult in the beginning but now things have changed a bit I stay with my friends in a rented accommodation in Kotla Mubarakpur I still go back home by Volvo bus I havent bought a car he said His grandfather Karam Singh was a driver in Subhas Chandra Boses Azad Hind FaujDadaji is nearly 100 years He was in Japan with Netaji I have heard stories so many times that at times I slip away he said cheekily But he loves me and is aware when my match is coming on television Today he watched me bowl he saidCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the goTrending Video