Joginder impresses with fighting spirit

Joginder Sharma could face only seven balls in his ODI debut, but he bowled eight overs in two spells for 1-28, and took a well judged catch in the deep.

There was nothing spectacular about Joginder Sharma's maiden appearance in One-Day Internationals. But the figures that went against his name on the scorecard show that he plays his game the hard way.

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He could face only seven balls in the Indian innings and remained unbeaten on five. But he also bowled eight overs in two spells for 1-28, and took a well judged catch in the deep.

Importantly, he did not have an iota of stage fright. Playing for India A made him feel "normal", he said.

"I did not get enough time with the bat," was how he summed up his first game in India colours.

The 21-year-old lad from Rohtak, Haryana, belongs to a middle class family which depends on the meagre income earned from a paan shop business.

Yet, he talks about his India debut in the first One-Day International against Bangladesh in Chittagong on Thursday in a matter-of-fact manner.