Who is Saumy Pandey? This bowler just broke Ravi Bishnoi’s record

By
Raktim Nandi
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10

19-year-old Indian spinner Saumy Pandey has broken the record for most wickets taken by an Indian in a single edition of ICC U-19 World Cup.

SAUMY PANDEY EXCEEDED THE PREVIOUSLY HELD RECORD BY COMPATRIOT RAVI BISHNOI

The record was previously held by current senior Indian National Men’s Cricket Team star Ravi Bishnoi, who had captured 17 wickets in the 2020 edition of the event. Saumy Pandey has exceeded Bishnoi’s tally by a wicket – he has managed to take 18 wickets in the ongoing edition of the event.

 

In the first match against Bangladesh, Pandey helped his team win the game by taking four wickets with an envy-inducing economy rate of 2.4. In the next match against Ireland, he was equally efficient, dismissing three Irish batters. Pandey took just one wicket against the USA, but did so at an amazing economy rate of 1.3, giving away just 13 runs despite completing all ten of his possible overs.

Pandey was similarly exceptional against New Zealand in the first Super Six match. He took four wickets at an economy rate of 1.9, destroying their middle order in the process. He shined in India’s next match against Nepal, dismissing four Nepali batsmen, including their skipper Dev Khanal. Remarkably, all four of his triumphs were against top or middle order batsmen.

In the semi-final against South Africa, Pandey managed to take one wicket, dismissing batting all-rounder Dewan Marais. In the final match against match against Australia, he dismissed Harjas Singh at 55 to exceed Bishnoi’s record.

 

WHO IS SAUMY PANDEY?

Pandey is from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. His parents are teachers, who wanted him to become a doctor. On viewing his passion for cricket, his parents moved to Rewa from Bharatpur for better coaching opportunities. Now, he has went become an integral part of India’s 2024 U-19 world cup campaign. According to his coach Aril Anthony, Ravindra Jadeja is one of the young spinner’s idols.

INDIA’S RUN CAME TO AN END IN THE FINAL

Despite Pandey’s (and much of the squad’s) excellence throughout the tournament, India’s run came to an unfortunate end in the final, where batting collapse led them to lose the match by 79 runs. Incidentally, it was his dismissal that inserted the final nail in the coffin.

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