Sangwan looks forward to better days

                               

"They told me I had made a mistake but that I shouldn’t look back and instead work hard towards my comeback."

Pradeep Sangwan is a happy man these days. He has enjoyed a good season of first-class cricket, taking 32 wickets from the group stages of the Ranji Trophy this season for Delhi, and is looking forward to bigger things.

Not so long ago, though, things were not all sanguine. In 2013, the left-arm medium-pacer was slapped with an 18-month ban by the BCCI’s anti-doping tribunal for consuming an anabolic steroid during the 2013 IPL. He served out his ban and returned to action last November. This season has seen him truly hit his stride.

“The comeback has been good,” he said here on Friday, as Delhi trained ahead of its Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal clash with Himachal Pradesh. “[During the ban period] I wasn’t allowed to play any tournaments. Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and the coaches helped me a lot.

“They told me I had made a mistake but that I shouldn’t look back and instead work hard towards my comeback.”

The 25-year-old spoke of his frustration at being out of the game. “I felt like life had come to a standstill. It was two long years, in which I trained hard but the fact that I could not play frustrated me,” he said. “I would go and train with athletes and play football too. The days away from the sport were very lonely but when I came back I felt like I belonged here because playing cricket is what I have done all my life.”

Sangwan admitted that he had nearly given up hope of returning to cricket. “There was a time when I felt I would be very tough for me to come back,” he said. “But my dream of playing for the country kept me going.”

He did not make any excuses for what happened, however. “It was my fault and I learnt from my mistakes,” he said. “I always tell people to first talk to the trainer or physio before taking any medication.

“The BCCI has given us the WADA list and even educated us. Now, I’m very scared. I always consult the trainer or physio even to take a multi-vitamin tablet. I’m cautious because I don’t want to get banned again.”