Kolkata , December 22 : 23 year old Brainder Singh Sran will have the valuable tips from Wasim Akram , as he embarks on his first tour with the Indian team Down Under . His meeting with the Sultan of Swing was in a bizarre manner . Brainder was staying in the same hotel in Mumbai where Akram was staying . He was with the Punjab team to play a Ranji trophy match against Mumbai . Brainder was roaming in the hotel lobby when he noticed the Pakistani legend at the reception . He did not waste any time to introduce himself and asked for some tips . Akram who have always been willing to help upcoming Indian bowlers on being approached obliged . “ Akram Sir asked me what I do . I told him straightaway I am a fast bowler with the Punjab team that also have Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh . ” . Brainder was exited over the phone to have got tips from the legend he admired ,“ Akram Sir guided me to the gym of the hotel while answering my queries . I told him my strength is to bowl inswing with the new ball , and outswing with the older one . He explained me how to bowl close to the stumps and showed me how to grip the ball while bowling reverse swing .” Akram mastered the art of reverse swing as he kept batsman guessing as to which way the ball will come . He hid the ball behind his wrist and released it at the last moment .
Like many, Brainder himself was surprised when the selection news came out on Saturday evening. He was busy playing a Vijay Hazare Trophy match in Bengaluru when the news about his selection came . His senior team mates Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh was the happiest man in the dressing room . “Both Yuvi pa and Bhajju pa encourages me in the team . People started taking a note of me after Yuvi pa’s tweet few days back after Ranji Trophy match against Railways . Yuvraj tweeted that Brainder reminded him of Zaheer Khan . Yuvi pa promised me to take me to Zaheer . They have been guiding me ever since I made it to the Punjab squad .”
Born in a farmers family ,Brainder’s first passion was boxing . He went to the famous Bhiwani Boxing Club and trained under trainer Jagdish Singh, who is known for coaching Olympic medalist Vijender Singh.But a newspaper advertisement of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab’s talent hunt drew Sran’s attention to cricket. The young pacer went to Mohali to participate in the trials and impressed the Punjab selectors with his sharp pace. But Sran had to wait for his first appearance in the highest level as the Kings XI unit failed to select him. But the Punjab state team picked the talented bowler for the 2011 season.Last year Sran was bought by Rahul Dravid to play for Rajasthan Royals at the players’ auction for Rs. 10 Lakh .
Sran picked up 32 wickets from 11 first class matches so far . In the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy he has already picked 13 wickets from 6 matches with a best bowling of 60/4 against Rajasthan . On being asked which Aussie fast bowler he would like to take tips from during the series Down Under if an opportunity arise , Brainder straightaway bowled a Yorker saying “ Why should I take tips from Aussie bowlers , as they have a different mentality and style . I have seniors like Ishant , Umesh and Shami to guide me . I will try my best to utilize any given opportunity .”