Ranji Trophy: Himanshu Sangwan – the Railways ticket collector who uprooted Kohli’s off-stump

New Delhi, Jan 31 (IANS) Till 10:55 AM, Himanshu Sangwan was just any other bowler toiling hard in India’s domestic cricket circuit and far away from the limelight. But a minute later, Sangwan etched his name in a moment he would store in his memory and recall with glee for the rest of his life.

Virat Kohli, who got a rapturous applause on arrival after Yash Dhull fell, had just broken the shackles imposed on him by Railways bowlers following their plans by unfurling a powerful straight drive for four, with 10,000 plus fans shouting ‘Kohli, Kohli’ loudly. With that shot, the pressure was on Sangwan to bounce back and boy he did it in absolutely stunning fashion.

On the very next ball, Sangwan had the last laugh as he pulled the length back on his inswinger coming in from just outside the off-stump and went through the gate to send Kohli’s off-stump on a cartwheel ride.

The moment of euphoria, whose hype was built by fans, broadcasters, administrators and social media users, turned into pin-drop silence as a dejected Kohli walked back to the pavilion named after him for six off 15 balls in the 28th over.

Subsequently, fans made a beeline to exit the stadium which soon resembled the setting usually found in a Ranji Trophy game. Sangwan also made himself the ninth pacer to get Kohli out bowled in first-class cricket, and the pacer said getting the batting stalwart’s scalp is something he will cherish for the rest of his lifetime.

“We sticked to the basics of our plan. We didn’t have any special planning for him. Yes, absolutely (if it’s the most important wicket of his life). Virat is an inspiration for the whole of India. You can watch my earlier videos, and see my wicket-taking celebration is natural.

“Yes, for sure (playing in front of the crowd became an added motivation). It was the first time in history that there was such a crowd in Ranji Trophy. So it was a special moment for us as well,” he said to reporters at the end of day two’s play, where Delhi took a handy 93-run lead.

Within minutes of dismissing Kohli, Sangwan’s name was trending on social media platforms. Such was the craze around him that a fake Instagram account was made in his name, while another person with his same name had to close his comments section after Kohli’s fans flooded it with abuses.

Hearing all of this, Sangwan was glad that his Instagram account is private. “I have always kept my Instagram account private. It is not like that I made my account private ahead of the match against Delhi,” he said.

Sangwan, 29, hails from Charkhi Dadri in Haryana and grew up in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, as his father and mother worked as bank manager and teacher respectively. With an eye to play cricket professionally, Sangwan moved to Najafgarh in New Delhi, where he’s been living in a rented room for the last 14-15 years.

With his parents still in Rajasthan, Sangwan has support from a couple who he calls uncle and aunty, and terms them as people who are no less than his family. Sangwan played his U19 cricket for Delhi, where he made his debut in the age-group format alongside Rishabh Pant in 2013/14.

In terms of senior cricket, after trying to break into the Haryana team, Sangwan made his debut for Railways in 2019, after joining them in the previous year. When not at the ground, he worked as a senior ticket collector for almost a month and a half at the Old Delhi Railway Station, the place he got transferred to after a stint at the New Delhi Railway Station.

“Railways has supported me a lot. When I was not getting any cricket to play, they obviously gave me chances. So, the first priority is Railways. It’s not like I didn’t get to play for Delhi, so I will show to them that what I have. It was just not like that,” he added.

Sangwan, a product of Sporting Club in the national capital, also gave a sneak peek into the thought processes of Railways bowlers in making plans for Delhi’s batters, though Ayush Badoni and Sumit Mathur shined with 99 and 78 not out respectively.

“All the batters in Delhi are very good at white-ball cricket. They just don’t stop playing their shots. We didn’t have to attack them. We just had to bowl according to our plan, and they would get out on their own. So, it was a simple plan which was the same plan for all batters. We didn’t have to attack them, because they themselves play aggressive cricket.

“So we had the plan that we would bowl at a particular channel and they would get out on their own. For Ayush, it was a simple plan for Ayush. We had to stop his strokes. We had to put a ball in the channel and not let him run away. If you don’t let an aggressive batter play his shots, he will get worried and will get out while trying to hit big shots on his own,” he said.

Though Delhi are seven runs away from taking their lead to 100, Sangwan also expressed confidence in a Railways fightback on the last two days. “This is a phase of days cricket – sometimes we stay up, sometimes we stay down. So it’s not like that and we can still come back as there are two days left and have bowled well so far.”

Sangwan’s moment of glory in his long career unexpectedly eclipsed Friday morning’s anticipation of Kohli’s batting performance. Uprooting Kohli’s off-stump and the subsequent deserting of the Kotla by fans created a memory that Sangwan will undoubtedly carry with him in his mind and soul. It will be an incredible story he will share countless times throughout the remainder of his lifetime.

–IANS

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