Hat-trick man Rajneesh Gurbani 'bright India prospect'

INDORE: In seven deliveries on Saturday morning, Vidarbha medium-pacer Rajneesh Gurbani changed the course of the Ranji Trophy final and also entered the record books. After his magnificent performance in the semifinals when he bagged 12 wickets against Karnataka, his legion of fans now include former India cricketers Narendra Hirwani, Atul Wasson and Chetan Sharma, all of who rate him very high.
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"He will play for India, 110%," said Hirwani."Gurbani is the find of the season," said Wasson. "He has performed consistently well and the selectors should give him a chance," said Sharma.
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The 24-year-old Gurbani became only the second player to claim a hat-trick in a Ranji Trophy final after Tamil Nadu's B Kalyanasundaram who achieved the feat against Bombay in 1972-73. He is the third Vidarbha cricketer after Preetam Gandhe (twice) and Umesh Yadav to claim a hat-trick in the premier national championship.
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Gurbani received a standing ovation from the 2000-odd spectators at the Holkar Stadium as he trooped into the dressing room with figures of 24.4-8-59-6. On Saturday, he bowled unchanged from the Scindia End for impressive figures of 8.4-3-15-4. He touched coach Chandrakant Pandit's feet before entering the dressing room.
It was his fifth five-wicket haul and fourth consecutive, the most by any bowler this Ranji Trophy season. His average of 15.56 and strike rate of 32.7 is the best among the top ten bowlers this season.
"He is in the Bhuvneshwar Kumar mould. Gurbani's main weapon is swing. He needs to keep the same hunger, consistency, bowl with same attitude, remain fit and keep bowling like this to be picked to play for the country," said Hirwani after watching Gurbani bowl on Saturday.
Each time Vidarbha were pushed into a corner, they have turned to Gurbani. He has not failed them. In the quarterfinal, he ran through the Kerala batting line-up on a wicket where spinners were supposed to do the damage. At the Eden Gardens, he was at his magical best.
According to Hirwani, the Vidarbha pacer was unlucky on Friday. "He was bowling well but got injured. He was also bowling a bit short. He worked on his length today and allowed the ball to travel more in the air. For tail-enders, he did the smart thing to bowl incoming deliveries," he said.
Gurbani had gone into the dressing room on Friday due to an ankle problem in the 67th over. Vidarbha didn't risk him even though the new ball was due in 13 overs. They knew the importance of keeping him fit. On Saturday, the civil engineer showed he is fast becoming an architect of Vidarbha's comebacks.
Former India fast bowler Atul Wasan too feels Gurbani's biggest strength is swing. "Gurbani doesn't have express pace but can move the ball both ways. Besides, he has got good control, especially with his incoming deliveries and leg-cutters, which are needed at the highest level," he said.
With the IPL auction coming up, Wasan feels Gurbani will get a better platform to showcase his talent. "If he gets selected by an IPL team and gets to bowl, we will see more of him in future," he added.
Gurbani's lack of speed is not exactly a disadvantage, according to Hirwani. "When Bhuvaneshwar burst on the scene, he used to bowl at 125-127 km/hr. However, he used to swing the ball prodigiously. If you can swing, you look dangerous even at that speed. Now Bhuvi bowls close to 140km/hr. Gurbani's speed will increase over time when he will play more cricket," he said.
Former India seamer Chetan Sharma says that doing well in Ranji Trophy "opens many doors". "Gurbani is consistently doing well in every match. Knockouts rounds are pressure matches. He needs to keep himself away from injuries, he definitely has a bright future," said Sharma who had bagged a hat-trick in the 1987 World Cup.
"In the last few years, the selectors have rewarded those who have done well at the domestic level," added Sharma.