29-year-old Himanshu Sangwan ended Virat Kohli's inning on the score of just 6 runs after clean bowling him on day 2 of his Ranji Trophy return match between Delhi and Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday. The former Indian captain could only play 15 deliveries on his domestic cricket comeback after more than 12 years. Himanshu Sangwan spoiled the plans of the Delhi crowd, who flocked in massive numbers to watch Virat play a great knock.
Who is Himanshu Sangwan?
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The 29-year-old pacer Himanshu Sangwan was born on September 2, 1995, in Delhi. Himanshu made his List A debut for Railways on September 27, 2019, participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy during the 2019–20 season. On November 8, he made his Twenty20 debut at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and on December 9, he made his first-class debut at the Ranji Trophy. Before the match against Delhi, he had already claimed 77 first-class wickets from 23 Ranji Trophy matches, 21 List-A wickets from 17 games, and five T20 wickets from seven games.
Sangwan played with Rishabh Pant for Delhi at the U-19 level in the 2014–15 season but did not advance further at the DDCA. He tried his luck in nearby Haryana the following year but was unsuccessful. For the child, those were frustrating moments. Sangwan grew up in the Jhunjhunu area of Rajasthan, but he left home to follow his dream of being a fast bowler.
His mother, Bhagwan Rati, is a teacher, while his father, Surendra Singh Sangwan, is a bank manager. Their unwavering support got him through these difficult times. A friend told him about employment vacancies with the Indian Railways after he had been in the wilderness playing cricket for two years. After submitting an application, he was hired six months later to work as a ticket collector at the New Delhi station.
His ambitions to play cricket were revived by the work. In the CK Nayudu Trophy, Sangwan made his Railways U-23 debut in 2018. He finished the season with 37 wickets from seven games. He was quickly included in the Ranji Trophy squad last year due to his achievements. Having removed Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane in his debut season against Mumbai, he has a track record of taking big wickets in his career. In the same match, he had also claimed five wickets in the second innings. At that time, Rahane and Shaw were both playing at their peak.