Ian Chappell had likened Harmeet Singh to Bishan Singh Bedi after having seen him perform during the 2012 U-19 World Cup. His natural flight and guile had left the former Australian captain mesmerised who felt he needed only to develop the temperament to be successful at the international level.

Fate, though, took a cruel turn for Harmeet, who was linked to the infamous IPL 2013 spot-fixing case, an allegation he was later cleared of by the BCCI. The U-19 World Cup winner’s share of controversies didn’t end there as he was arrested for driving his car into an Andheri railway station platform in 2017.

Life turned a full circle for the left-arm spinner when he returned to the Wankhede on Saturday as a USA cricketer, after having migrated there six years ago.

He struck the right line early in the innings and utilised the grip on the wicket to leave India in tatters. The conditions were not alien to him as he utilised his craft and never let it slip away.

Harmeet’s parents passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic and it was his sister who was in attendance at the stadium to witness his haul of 2/26. He left his native country in dire straits with Hardik Pandya’s dismissal in the 13th over. It was a short ball which spun away and Pandya miscued it to extra cover in an attempt to clear the infield.

Left-hander Axar Patel was his next victim as he left him cramped for space. It was only after he had completed his quota of overs that Suryakumar Yadav unleashed his array of strokes.

Harmeet surely didn’t enjoy the pyrotechnics of his former Mumbai teammate, with whom he played on six occasions in the Ranji Trophy in 2015. Sanju Samson, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav had also played with him at the U-19 level. His former Mumbai teammates Shardul Thakur and Siddhesh Lad were not in attendance on Saturday.

“It was a pretty emotional moment. But it was not just my story, there were others in the team too who went through similar feelings,” Harmeet said later.

His last appearance at the Wankhede came in a Ranji match against Karnataka in 2015 when he claimed six wickets. He was in his elements on Saturday too, making his return memorable.