Sydney, Jan 17 (IANS): South African cricket great Jacques Kallis said his Sydney Thunder teammate Gurinder Sandhu, who was drafted into Australia's One-Day International (ODI) squad for the tri-series against England and India, had proven he possessed the skills required to perform at the international level.

When rain reduced last Monday's Thunder-Strikers match to 10 overs the Thunder's attack wasn't spared punishment. The 30,000-strong crowd was bombarded by 10 towering sixes, many of which went high into the stands, and left scorers struggling to keep up with the action, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

However, Sandhu's two overs stemmed the run-flow and the Strikers struggled to scrape seven runs from his 12 deliveries.

"He's definitely a skilled bowler. He obviously knows what he's doing and also has a great feel for cricket," Kallis said.

"I've been very impressed by him and I know he was excited (to be named in the Australian squad) as we all are - as his teammates - to think he has the opportunity to showcase his skills to the world."

Sandhu crowned his arrival on the first-class scene for New South Wales (NSW) in 2012-13 by playing in the Prime Minister's XI, for Australia A and by winning the Steve Waugh medal as the state's best player.

"He's certainly done well for us. He offers a lot, he has great variations and skills, and it is no surprise to me Gurinder has achieved the results he has," Kallis said.