"Tamil Nadu fast bowler" is almost an oxymoron.
While the team has always had a surfeit of spin options at their disposal, they have lacked fast bowlers who could give their attack a point of difference. This is why the emergence of Gurjapneet Singh gives Tamil Nadu hope.
A 6'3" left-arm seamer who was born in Ludhiana (Punjab) and grew up in Ambala (Haryana), Gurjapneet moved to Chennai when he was about 17. Seven years later, on his Ranji Trophy debut against former champions Saurashtra, he bagged 6 for 22, the best figures in a first-class innings by a TN fast bowler at home since 2005-06.
Gurjapneet's record haul included the prize scalp of Cheteshwar Pujara for a duck, which helped TN beat the clock and the Coimbatore weather for an innings victory. Four weeks before trapping Pujara, Gurjapneet had bowled Virat Kohli at the Chepauk nets in the lead-up to the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. A tip from Kohli, Gurjapneet says, played a role in Pujara's dismissal.
"When I spoke to Kohli, he gave me some points, which gave me more confidence," Gurjapneet tells ESPNcricinfo. "I was mentally prepared to bowl to Pujara, who is a legend in red-ball cricket in India. Against right-handers, he [Kohli] suggested me to come around the stumps also and told I can keep changing the angles to make it uncomfortable for the batsmen. I came around the stumps to Pujara first ball and with that angle I got him lbw. If I bowl over the stumps, there is less chance of getting lbw."
Pujara's wicket made Gurjapneet believe he could cut it at the higher level. When he was a teenager, Gurjapneet had not made it to many age-group teams back home, and upon the advice of his coach Anil Mashi, he shifted to Chennai, which has a more robust cricketing structure, in 2017-18.
Having enrolled himself into Guru Nanak College, a home base for India Cements' league teams, he bowled at the college nets and steadily moved up the ranks to play for their third division and then first-division sides. He then broke into the TNPL in 2021, playing for R Ashwin's Dindigul Dragons. There he worked closely with Yo Mahesh, who incidentally is the only other TN fast bowler to have taken a first-class six-for at home since 2005-06.
"It was my first season in the TNPL and Yomi [Yo Mahesh]taught me small points and in the nets, he helped me bowl yorkers and slower ones and mix it up," Gurjapneet recalls. "He kept telling me to work on my strengths and trust it when I bowl. T20 cricket is a bit different from red-ball cricket and you have to execute all the plans and bowl according to the fields set. So, my mindset was getting better day by day and I was learning so much with Yomi and Ashwin anna."
Having spotted Gurjapneet's ability to bowl yorkers and slower variations, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) brought him in as their net bowler. At the CSK nets, Gurjapneet sharpened his skills even further and tested them in the end-over scenarios against the likes of MS Dhoni.
"When you bowl to top-class batsmen, you keep learning and you know where you stand," Gurjapneet says. "At CSK, it's very difficult to bowl to someone like Dhoni, especially in death overs. Because if you make any mistake and don't execute yorkers, you will be punished. So, you will have to build your mindset as well [to bowl at the death] and make sure you don't get nervous at that time. If you get hit also, you learn about how to come back and improve your skills.
"Sometimes, when you get nervous you don't get any option to think about what's next and you don't choose the right option under pressure. So, your mind should be clear as to what to bowl the next ball after being hit. So, even after getting hit for a six, I try to come back with my strength: slower one or yorker."
Watch Gurjapneet Singh's stunning wickets against Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season! #TNvSAU #RanjiTrophy #TNCricket #TamilNaduCricket pic.twitter.com/3iPSNByGgP
— TNCA (@TNCACricket) October 16, 2024
However, just when Gurjapneet was on the verge of breaking into Tamil Nadu's teams, a lower-back injury set his career back. He needed surgery and was on the sidelines for most of 2022.
He then returned to action in the TNPL in 2023, for a different team, Madurai Panthers, and also steadily built up his bowling load in league cricket. After also going through the grind of the Buchi Babu Tournament over the last two seasons, Gurjapneet finally broke into the Tamil Nadu Ranji team. In the injury-enforced absence of Sandeep Warrier, Gurjapneet stepped up and bowled Tamil Nadu to victory against Saurashtra.
Success, though belated, was sweet for Gurjapneet. It was even sweeter for his parents who were hooked to the scorecard when he was running through Saurashtra.
"If you leave home and go to another state, it can be challenging," Gurjapneet says. "My dad and my family - they always supported me and helped me out whenever I needed help. Whatever the situation is - whether it's comfortable or uncomfortable - I was ready to face it and just wanted to play cricket.
"After the match finished, I immediately got a call from dad - he was very happy and he congratulated me on the six-wicket haul - and my mom as well. It took me six-seven years to play for Tamil Nadu, but he always told me to be patient and was confident that I would definitely get a chance to play for Tamil Nadu. It's a proud feeling to take six wickets on debut for Tamil Nadu."
Though these are still early days in this domestic season, Tamil Nadu, under L Balaji, are veering away from their usual spin-to-win template and are building a pace pack that can be effective at home and away. Right-arm quick R Sonu Yadav, who made his debut along with Gurjapneet, also came away with a match haul of six wickets against Saurashtra.
"Bowling alongside Sonu and Momi [M Mohammed] anna has been helpful," Gurjapneet says. "Momi has played a lot of cricket in Tamil Nadu and on the field he speaks to me telling 'Japneet you can do this, Japneet you can do that'. When Sonu gets a wicket, I have to keep it tight at the other end. We are learning to bowl in partnerships. If you do the job and don't get a wicket, the bowler at the other end will get the wicket. It's a good environment and I'm enjoying bowling with Sonu and Momi anna."
Gurjapneet - and Sonu - could well be the missing pieces in TN's jigsaw as they aim to lift their first Ranji title since 1987-88.