A case of 'better late than never'
Santhosh S - 29 November 2001

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Audio Interview [Part I | Part II]

Sanjay Bangar must have pleasantly surprised even himself with his figures of 14-6-32-5 against England in the three-day match at Hyderabad. A few days later, though, there was a better surprise awaiting this 28-year-old all-rounder, who plays for Railways in India; the selectors picked him for the national squad for the first Test at Mohali.

Bangar has been representing Railways for the last eight years in the Ranji Trophy championships. A very modest man carrying a smile, Bangar spoke to CricInfo in an exclusive interview soon after the three-day match. He talked us through the five wickets, which were to help him to break into the national squad.

"I was lucky to get Graham Thorpe out; it was not a very good ball, just the up and down stuff, and he played all around it," said Bangar. "In the morning, I had spoken to Anshuman Gaekwad (former India player and coach), and he told me that I should make some changes when bowling to Nasser Hussain. It actually worked for me; it was a well- planned and hard-earned wicket."

"In the first innings, I tried to induce him into driving the ball, but he got away with a couple of boundaries. I was told that I was giving him a lot of width," added Bangar. "He used to put his foot down the track and try to make room to play through the covers. Gaekwad asked me to bowl closer to the stumps and the out-swinger to be bowled on the off stump."

Hussain once again tried to make room but only spooned a catch to Murali Kartik at gully. The English skipper's weakness has now been exposed, and we can expect a few interesting contests between the Indian bowlers and Hussain.

Bangar added that Craig White was prised out with a reverse-swinging delivery, the batsman trying to hit out a bit too early in the innings. "Foster was done in by the pace; though the ball kept low, it had done the trick by the time the bat came down." A modest Bangar was quick to add that he was lucky to get Richard Dawson lbw to complete his five-wicket haul.

"I never expected that, within the span of two sessions, I would be sitting happy with five wickets in my bag," says Bangar about his first game against an international side.

When asked about his trade, Bangar said, "I am more inclined to think of myself as a batsman. But whenever I have been in some trouble in my career, it is the bowling that has helped me through. This season onwards I have been concentrating more on my bowling."

This workaholic cricketer thinks that he is at the peak of his career as a bowler. He is honest about his batting, which has not really been falling into place this season, although he enjoyed a good season last year. Bangar says, "I like to be involved with all aspects of the game. That is what I expect from me. As an all-rounder, there is an added responsibility on you; it is just not to be called an all- rounder that you bowl seven or eight overs."

Bangar is an opening batsman, and he talks about his modest success. "Maybe I am trying a bit too hard, maybe it is just around the corner, the big runs." Bangar, who was dropped from the Railways side for the Ranji Trophy league matches last year, made a brilliant comeback by scoring 465 runs in four matches to propel Railways to the Ranji Trophy final against Baroda. He reckons that was the best phase of his career thus far. It will only augur well for both Bangar and India if he can make a similar mark at the highest level.

Bangar was born in Beed, Maharashtra, and was soon playing cricket at school level in Aurangabad. It was his coach, Kiran Joshi, who helped him initially in his junior days. Another person who made a lot of difference to Bangar's cricket was Vasanth Ambladi, who also coached Sunil Gavaskar in his young days.

Now 28 years old and a father of a one-year-old son, Bangar has been a late developer in cricketing terminology. He says, "Railways has given me the opportunity to become a complete cricketer; it was more of on- the-job experience than being a totally finished product and walking into the team."

If anything influenced Bangar growing up, it was a gift from his father. "It is the Sunny Days book; I must have read that book 15-20 times. Sub-consciously, it has had its effects."

The family-oriented man keeps shuttling between his base in Delhi and Mumbai to catch up with his family. In between all these trips, Bangar has also made it a point to play in the Minor Counties in England during the rainy season in India. He reckons that the stint with Minor Counties has helped him a lot since, as a professional, he is expected to turn up for a match on every Saturday and bowl 20-25 overs in a 50- over game. This sort of physically demanding cricket has helped keep him fit, reckons Bangar.

The soft-spoken all-rounder did believe that he should have been considered for the Indian squad for a few previous tours. He was crestfallen after not being picked the Irani Trophy team this season. Even though he is vehement in saying that he has never idolised any cricketers, he does look up to Robin Singh for all the kind words and encouragement passed on to him.

Bangar found himself lost for words when asked whether he is mentally and physically prepared to play for India. After a long silence, the voice came out: "Yeah." Little did this reliable Railways all-rounder know that he had caught the eyes of the selectors, among them the South Zone representative, Shivlal Yadav, who was mightily impressed with Bangar's bowling on a dead third-day track in Hyderabad.

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