South African left-arm fast bowler Nandre Burger never aspired to be a cricketer but chose to take up the sport as “it was a free way to study”.
In 2014, it was through a cricket trial that Burger got admission to University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) with a full scholarship to pursue a psychology major. He has never looked back since.
Burger, 28, now is an all-format pacer for South Africa, having made his national team debut in December last year.
His performances for South Africa earned him a Rs 50 lakh contract with Rajasthan Royals. He also played for Joburg Super Kings in SA20 last month.
“Sounds strange, right. WITS offered a scholarship for those who played cricket. I thought it was cool. I didn’t want to be a cricketer, but I was getting a free way to study, so I thought, why not? Cricket was actually my back-up to academics (laughs),” Burger told ESPNcricinfo.
He made his IPL debut in RR’s 20-run win over Lucknow Super Giants here on March 24.
But the journey wasn’t easy for the lanky left-arm pacer. He tried his hand at tennis and squash before turning to cricket because of a back injury.
Burger has since recovered from the injury. It was his university coach Neil Levenson who saw a potential fast bowler in him for the national team.
