Boxing to cricket: All you need to know about farmer's son Barinder Sran

Perth, Jan 12: It was a memorable moment for India's young left-arm paceman Barinder Sran, who made his international debut against Australia today at the WACA ground.

Ind-Aus series schedule Ind-Aus series schedule

In the 1st ODI on Tuesday, captain MS Dhoni handed the India cap to the 23-year-old Sran as his team-mates applauded on the ground. (Rohit breaks records in Perth)

Dhoni hands over the India cap to Sran before play in Perth

Sran, in the span of 6 years, has made the journey to the top after making a switch from boxing to cricket. (Steve Smith praises Sran)

Here is all you need to know about India's latest fast bowler

# In 2007, Sran, son of farmer Balbir Singh, went to Bhiwani (Punjab) to become a boxer. He was training at the famous Bhiwani Boxing Club which was home to India's Olympic medallist Vijender Singh. ('Sran is a good prospect')

# In 2009, Sran sees a newspaper advertisement from Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) calling bowlers for selection trials in Mohali. Sran does not make the cut but the trials change his life.

# Later Sran wins Gatorade Speedster contest and that takes him to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) academy in Dubai.

# In October 2011, Sran gets first taste of senior cricket, with Punjab team in Twenty20 format. Same year (November 2011), he makes his first-class debut, playing the Ranji Trophy.

# Due to injuries, Sran is out of action for 3 years.

# Sran again goes to selection trials. This time for IPL franchises Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). There he impresses RR officials including team mentor Rahul Dravid.

# In February 2015, Sran is bought by RR for Rs 10 lakhs at IPL Players' Auction in Bengaluru.

# Sran admires India's Zaheer Khan and Pakistan's pace legend Wasim Akram.

# "I haven't had the chance to talk to Zak (Zaheer Khan) pa but I did have a brief conversation with Wasim sir for about 15-20 minutes. It was about how to operate with the old ball and which areas to bowl in from over and around the stumps. He said that he would teach me properly when we meet in the nets some day," Sran told BCCI's website.

# In February 2015, Sran was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 10 lakhs at the IPL Players Auction in Bengaluru.

# In December 2015, Sran's powerful straight drive hit Australian umpire John Ward on his head during Punjab-Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy match in Dindigul (Tamil Nadu). Following the injury, the umpire fell on the ground and was motionless for few minutes. He was rushed to the hospital. He later recovered.

Learning at Rajasthan Royals

"Players like Tim Southee and James Faulkner had constant conversations with me, guiding me, telling me how things work in terms of bowling and field placements. Rahul (Dravid) sir boosted my confidence and encouraged me all the time. All this mattered a lot to me," Sran said.

# In October 2015, Sran took 6 wickets (17-4-61-6) against Railways in a Ranji Trophy match which made his Punjab team-mate and India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh to compare him to Zaheer Khan.

""Barinder saran! Serious spell of fast bowling on a flat track ! A talented fast left armer to watch out for reminds me of a young @ImZaheer," Yuvraj had tweeted that day.

Barinder saran! Serious spell of fast bowling on a flat track ! A talented fast left armer to watch out for reminds me of a young @ImZaheer
— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) October 3, 2015

# When South Africa played India in the 1st Test of the 4-match series in November 2015, Sran was a 'net' bowler at PCA Stadium in Mohali.

# On December 20, 2015, Sran was picked in the Indian ODI squad.

# On January 12, 2016, Sran made his ODI debut in Perth.

'Advantage' as a left-arm paceman

"I have had the advantage of being a left-arm pacer. There are many fast bowlers in the line right now, but being a left-arm pacer has pushed me ahead. It would be great if I can fill that void in the Indian team and lend a bit of variety to the bowling attack," Sran to BCCI's website.

'Wanted to be a boxer'

"Initially I always wanted to be a boxer and idolised Vijender and other Haryana boxers. And those two years at Bhiwani taught me a lot. And when cricket happened, I just gave my best. I did not know about bowling before the trials and just bowled with pace. I used to hear a lot about MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and other players in my career and to share the dressing room with such players would be great for me," Sran to "The Indian Express".