Image courtesy of: Zimbio
It is only a matter of time before Sandhu is selected to play for Australia
Former Australia pace bowler Glenn McGrath will take Josh Hazlewood, Gurinder Sandhu and Kurtis Patterson under his wing at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, where he holds the esteemed position of director.
McGrath has agreed to mentor the trio since they have the talent to represent Australia in the near future and also in an attempt to ensure the national team never gets whitewashed in India again.
”India is so different to Australia in nearly every way – the climate, the conditions, the sheer amount of people there, the food, and then the playing conditions as well,” McGrath told the Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s going to be high 30s, early 40s every day. It’ll be pretty warm.
”Hopefully when and if they do move up to play for Australia, they’ve had a little bit of experience in India and it’s not such a shock culturally and the transition is a bit smoother.”
Hazlewood, currently 22, has already had a taste of international cricket, playing in one ODI and one Twenty20 International.
However, he has been sidelined over the past few months with back and foot injuries.
Hazlewood’s New South Wales team-mates, Sandhu and Patterson, both of whom are 20, have already made exceptional starts to their domestic careers.
Patterson currently holds the record for being the youngest centurion in the Sheffield Shield, scoring 157 runs off 189 balls in his debut match at the age of 18, which included 22 fours and three sixes.
Sandhu meanwhile has picked up 14 wickets in just two Sheffield Shield matches and boasts an impressive average of 11.85, which includes a five-wicket haul on debut.
The 20-year-old of Indian origin was also given the Steve Waugh medal, which is awarded to the best New South Wales player, for the 2012-13 season.
Sandhu noted that he could barely contain his excitement at working alongside McGrath, who was recently inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame.
”I’m treating it as a massive learning opportunity,” he said.