Sandhu fights for spot
NEW Tigers recruit Gurinder Sandhu didn’t expect anything to be handed to him on a platter but it still hasn’t masked the disappointment of missing the state’s initial JLT One-Day Cup squad.
After six years in the NSW system, the seamer lost his Blues contract at the end of last summer, with Tasmania swooping on the 25-year-old.
Sandhu played two ODIs for Australia in 2015 and is regarded as a quality white-ball exponent, but it wasn’t enough for him to squeeze his way into the Tigers’ 14-man squad for the opening two matches starting in Townsville next Wednesday.
“It is pretty disappointing but it is part of sport and part of cricket, you have to move on and keep working hard,” Sandhu told the
Mercury. “When I moved here there was no promises and I knew I had to work hard and prove and show my skills off.
“Everyone has been doing really well which is a good thing … it was a pretty tough call from what the coach said to me.
“All I am thinking about now is just to keep putting my best foot forward at training and being ready to go for whenever duty calls.”
The Tigers opted for a pace quartet of Jackson Bird, uncapped Nick Buchanan and express quicks Riley Meredith and Aaron Summers, with all-rounders Tom Rogers, Simon Milenko and James Faulkner also in the squad.
Sandhu, who will remain with the group in Queensland, has slotted in seamlessly into his new environment, and believes he is making headway with some changes he felt needed to revive his career.
“It felt like a few things were not where I wanted them to be and I felt ‘Griff’ [coach Adam Griffith] would be someone who could help,” Sandhu said. “I don’t want to finish my career and say ‘I wish I did that’ … I want to make sure I give it a red-hot crack.”