Railways Himanshu Sangwan was over the moon after cleaning up Virat Kohli on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy fixture against Delhi.
Delirious fans screamed in excitement once Kohli walked in to bat, triggering an unprecedented rush for seats in the stands and shout of Kohli, Kohli, followed by RCB RCB.
Sangwan’s Delhi connect
Sangwan represented Delhi at the U-19 level alongside Rishabh Pant in the 2014-15 season. Sangwan failed to progress any further at the DDCA. The following year, he tried his luck in neighbouring Haryana, but couldn’t break through. Those were vexing times for the youngster. Having grown up in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, Sangwan had left home to pursue his passion of being a fast bowler. In such trying times, it was the constant support from his parents — father Surendra Singh Sangwan is a bank manager and mother Bhagwan Rati a teacher — that kept him going.
The journeyman Himanshu Sangwan
After spending two years in the cricketing wilderness, a friend informed Himanshu Sangwan about job openings with the Indian Railways. He applied for the post and six months later, got employed as a ticket examiner at the New Delhi station.
The job put his cricketing aspirations back on track. In 2018, Sangwan made his U-23 debut for the Railways in the CK Nayudu Trophy and finished the season with 37 wickets from seven matches. His exploits had fast-tracked him into the Ranji Trophy squad in 2019.
“This is the first time we are playing against such a big player, but we are looking to keep it simple,” Sangwan was quoted by Delhi Junction, on the eve of this match.
“Our strength is line and length with a bit of movement. I want to back my strength and stick to basics. Patience and sticking to basics will be key.”
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Sangwan, who lives in Najafgarh and represents Sporting Club in the DDCA has 14 wickets from six matches this season.
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