Cricketer-turned-singer Harrdy Sandhu plays Madan Lal in 83: See poster

Singer Harrdy Sandhu plays the character of former India cricketer Madan Lal in Kabir Khan’s 83. In the latest character poster from the film, we can see Sandhu mimicking Madan Lal’s high-arm bowling action.

As the former cricketer hailed from Punjab, the makers of 83 shared the poster with the caption, “This Punjab da lal is unstoppable! Meet Madipa, the next devil.”

Madan Lal played 39 Test matches and 67 One-Day Internationals for India, taking 71 and 73 wickets, respectively. For India, he was primarily a medium-pacer who batted a bit in the tail-end or lower order. But he was an all-rounder in domestic cricket, scoring as many as 22 centuries with a career-best score of 223.

Harrdy Sandhu is a singer who has lent his voice to Hindi and Punjabi songs. But he also has a deep cricketing connection. Born Harvinder Singh Sandhu, the singer played for India’s under-19 team and in the domestic Ranji Trophy tournament as a fast bowler. In one of his interviews, he said it was his dream to play for Team India.

However, an elbow injury that never fully healed even after treatment abroad put paid to Sandhu's dreams of cricketing glory. He then began learning singing in 2010 and eventually landed up in the music industry. Now he gets a chance to don the cricketing whites again, albeit in a movie.

Starring Ranveer Singh as former India captain Kapil Dev, 83 will be released on 10 April.