In the 2004-05 season, this cricketer was part of the India Under-19 team and came close to joining the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup squad in 2006. He performed well in a training camp in Pune, taking the wickets of prominent players like Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja.
India is full of talent, and today, in this article, we will tell you about one such man who once took the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and other notable cricketers and has made a name for himself in a completely different field. Before becoming a household name in the music industry, this star had a passion for cricket that burned bright. He was a skilled right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler who played for Punjab and was even selected for the India Under-19 team.
Cricketing dreams
The celebrity we are talking about is none other than Hardvinder Singh Sandhu, who is known as Harrdy Sandhu. In the 2004-05 season, this cricketer was part of the India Under-19 team and came close to joining the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup squad in 2006. He performed well in a training camp in Pune, taking the wickets of prominent players like Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Pinal Shah, and Yo Mahesh. However, despite his impressive performance, he wasn’t selected for the final team. A few years later, an unrecoverable injury forced him to give up on his cricketing dreams in 2007.
In Raj Shamani’s podcast ‘Figuring Out’ Sandhu narrated a tale from his cricketing days. He said, “We were batting on the third day, and it was my turn to bat. I asked Rahul Sharma, a former India and Punjab spinner, for a bat. Rahul was often called ‘Venky.’ Coincidentally, Venkatesh Prasad, who was our coach, was sitting in front of me. I called out ‘Venky’ to Rahul but to my surprise, Venkatesh Prasad thought I was addressing him. Perhaps he took offense to this and it might have influenced his decision to stick with the same squad that had played in the last two U-19 tournaments,” Sandhu said.
Harrdy Sandhu’s transition from cicket to music
After cricket, the talented Harrdy Sandhu turned to music, training in folk and classical singing under Sh. Nirmal Singh. His first album, “This Is Harrdy Sandhu,” featured modern and upbeat songs, followed by “Horn Blow.” In 2014, his song “Soch” brought him widespread fame, and the Hindi version of this track was sung by Arijit Singh for the film “Airlift” starring Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur.
Since then, Sandhu has given several hits, including Palak Tiwari starrer “Bijli- Bijli”, “Kya Baat Ay,” “Naah,” “Joker,” and many more. His music has captured the hearts of millions, and he has established himself as a talented singer in the industry.
Stepping into Films
Harrdy Sandhu didn’t just stick to music; he also made his mark in films. He made his acting debut in 2014 with the Punjabi film “Yaaran Da Katchup” and later debuted in Bollywood with the film “83,” which brought his first love, cricket, back into his life. In “83,” he played the role of Madan Lal, one of the key fast bowlers in the Indian team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup.
He has also starred in the spy action film “Code Name: Tiranga,” co-starring Parineeti Chopra, directed by Ribhu Dasgupta. With a small career in cricket and successful music and acting career, Harrdy Sandhu has proven that he is a talented man with a wide range of skills.