'He has proven himself at different stages' - Bhuvneshwar lauds debutant Saini

Saini had a memorable start to his international career. The Karnal-born pacer bowled a sensational last over, becoming only the second bowler to deliver a wicket maiden on his international debut in the format. Before that, he was a part of the India A side's tour of the West Indies, where he was the second-highest wicket-taker, with eight scalps.

Now, he has carried that form into his international cricket, where his spectacular performance earned him the praise of Bhuvneshwar.

"The most important thing is he has proved himself at different stages - whether it is domestic cricket, IPL or India A," Bhuvneshwar said. "So, when he came into the team, I was pretty confident. Just before he came into the team, they played India A in West Indies and he did well there. When you do well at the international level, it gives you confidence."

Coming in as the first change, Saini first got Nicholas Pooran caught behind and then removed Shimron Hetmyer off the very next ball for a first-ball duck. He then came back to bowl two overs at the death, where he conceded only 10 runs and dismissed the well-set Kieron Pollard for 49.

The 26-year-old had demonstrated his skills to bowl at pace during the twelfth edition of the Indian Premier League earlier this year, where he finished with 11 wickets, and continued that trend on Saturday. "He bowls really quick. Like I said, the wicket wasn't a proper wicket," Bhuvneshwar said. "It was a bit slow. But if you look at his bowling, he is a quick bowler, he bowls at around 145-150."

Bhuvneshwar further stated that the Indian team management believes in giving opportunities to younger players, to make them feel secure and prove their mettle at the international level.

"The first message the captain or the management gives is that you would get plenty of matches," he said. "You will get enough chances to perform in the middle. It won't be like one or two matches and you're out of the team. So that gives them the security and that is the most important thing when you're a youngster and come into the team, you want security and that is what they are getting."

Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, too, was impressive, bagging a wicket and conceding just eight runs in two overs. Bhuvneshwar, who has been one of India's front-line bowlers in limited-overs cricket, has often been seen mentoring young bowlers such as Khaleel, Siddhart Kaul and many others during the IPL and in international matches. The 29-year old said that he embraces the role.

"Being a senior player, you always want to perform. When a youngster plays with you, like Navdeep Saini did well, Khaleel is there, so you want to talk to them, always make them feel comfortable, that is the first thing I look to do."