Who is Himanshu Sangwan? Railways pacer who used to be a ticket collector

Himanshu Sangwan is a promising fast bowler for the Railways cricket team. Born on September 2, 1995, in Delhi’s Najafgarh area, Sangwan has made a name for himself in domestic cricket. Before his cricketing career took off, he worked as a ticket collector at the New Delhi Railway Station.

Sangwan made his List A debut for Railways in 2019 during the Vijay Hazare Trophy and soon followed it up with his T20 debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His first-class debut came later that year in the Ranji Trophy. Known for his disciplined bowling and ability to dismantle high-profile batting line-ups, Sangwan has built a reputation as a giant slayer in domestic cricket.

In first-class cricket, Sangwan has played 23 matches, picking up 77 wickets at an average of 19.92 and an economy rate of 3.02. His best bowling figures are 7 for 811. In List A cricket, he has taken 21 wickets in 17 matches, while in T20s, he has 5 wickets from 7 matches.

Sangwan trained at the MRF Pace Foundation under the guidance of Australian legend Glenn McGrath, which helped hone his skills. His standout performance came in 2019 when he took six wickets to help Railways secure a 10-wicket victory over Mumbai, including dismissing Indian stalwarts Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw.

Virat Kohli was dismissed for just 6 off 15 balls on his return to the Ranji Trophy after more than a decade. While playing for his domestic side Delhi, Kohli was clean bowled by Sangwan, who had his off stump uprooted. After picking up the wicket, Sangwan was pumped up and celebrated aggressively. Before picking up the wicket, Virat Kohli had slapped the bowler for a four down the ground, but the bowler came back strongly. Sangwan’s reactions didn’t please Kohli’s fans, and they slammed him with abuse on social media.