Navdeep Saini, a right-arm fast bowler from Delhi, has been on the fringes of the Indian team in recent months.
An injury to fast bowler Mohammed Shami ahead of the only Test against Afghanistan in June 2018 led to a call-up to the Test squad, but Saini didn't make the XI. Now, he has been called up to the ODI and T20 squad for the 2019 tour of the West Indies.
The 25 year old from Karnal, Haryana, started by playing tennis ball tournaments. He later moved to Delhi for his cricket and in an interview to ESPNcricinfo he was very grateful to Gautam Gambhir in particular for guiding him through the initial years.
Saini made his first-class debut in 2013-14 and only managed two games for Delhi that season. Injuries were a problem in the early part of his career. In 2017, Saini was picked for the India A squad for the tour of South Africa and he was also part of the A squad that hosted New Zealand.
The semi-final of the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy saw him give his best performance. Against Bengal, he took 3 for 55 in the first innings, and 4 for 35 in the second innings to send Bengal crashing to 86, giving Delhi an innings victory. He took 5 for 135 in the final, but Delhi failed to beat Vidarbha.
He finished as the team's leading wicket-taker with 34 wickets in eight games and joint fourth-highest overall for the 2017-18 season. That boosted his selection to the Test squad. He was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore during the 2018 auction but didn't get a game.
In the 2019 IPL, Saini was a regular in the RCB squad. In 13 games he finished with 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.27 per over. Saini was part of the India A team in the West Indies prior to the senior team's visit. He took 5 for 46 in the first one-dayer.
