Monty Panesar: The Smiling Sardar makes heads turn

The Smiling Sardar might have already usurped every other person as the most lovable person of Indian origin in the Land of the Queen. Starting off as a quiet, shy and unassuming youngster with a smile that used to flash and disappear like the moon on a cloudy night - an year later - Monty Panesar has become the darling of masses, a youngster with a confident smile and a spring in his gait.

Only Murali, Ntini, Kumble, Pollock and Bond can boast of having their names taken before the smiling sardar on the list of the best Test bowlers on this planet. Consider the fact that seasoned campaigners like Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammed Asif linger behind him, as also his more illustrious teammates Hoggard, Flintoff and Harmison do. Monty Panesar can have his turban towering well above others in the Land.

His extraordianary feat of 23 wickets in four test matches against the Windies at home, wrecking havoc amongst them at a very impressive average of just over 18 runs is enough to give delight to any bowler in the world.

In 1992, Anil Kumble and Venkatapathy Raju took 21 and 16 wickets respectively in three test matches against the Queen's army and that was on wickets turning square. Monty did the trick on seaming English wickets. That makes his performance even more worthwhile.

His real test is just around the corner as the English team prepares to take on the Indians and then fly out to South Africa for some gruelling Test match cricket.

-

Reference

-

Image Credit

-