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'There Should Be Fear In Opposition,' Gautam Gambhir-Backed Ramandeep Singh Warns South Africa

Debashis Sarangi

Ramandeep speaks after getting picked for SA tour [Source: @Prat1k_/X, @KKRKaFan/X]Ramandeep speaks after getting picked for SA tour [Source: @Prat1k_/X, @KKRKaFan/X]

Riding on a string of impressive performances in the Indian Premier League and the Emerging Asia Cup, promising all-rounder Ramandeep Singh earned his maiden national call-up for India's upcoming South Africa tour. Under Suryakumar Yadav's leadership, the Men in Blue will face the Proteas in four T20I matches next month. 

Ahead of the much-awaited series, Ramandeep Singh revealed that his idol is none other than his IPL teammate Andre Russell. In an exclusive chat with The Indian Express, the Punjab cricketer stated that he would try to be as impactful as Russell and torment the opposition with his power-hitting in slog overs. 

“As an all-rounder myself, my role model is Andre Russell. I want to have the same impact as him. When I go to the crease, there should be fear in the opposition that I will take the game away. I want to create that kind of impact for India,” Ramandeep said. 

Ramandeep Recalls Gautam Gambhir's Golden Advice

Regarded for his ability to smack the ball with brute power, Ramandeep highlighted India head coach Gautam Gambhir's influence on him during his stint with KKR. He also remembered when Gambhir openly called him his favourite in the Knight Riders camp and asked him to play a fearless brand of cricket. 

“Gautam sir planned 30-minute range-hitting sessions, and Russell made sure he was with me. His insights helped me a lot during the IPL," Ramandeep said. 

"During an intra-squad match at KKR, my side needed six runs off two balls to win, and I clinched the match with a six. Gautam sir told me, ‘You are my favourite cricketer in this team, and I will back you throughout the tournament. You should never play with fear," he added. 

India's Squad For South Africa T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan and Yash Dayal