Umran Malik, the new cricket sensation from Jammu and Kashmir, impressed one and all his searing pace in the recently concluded IPL.
But do you know that Umran did not have any formal cricket coaching and played tennis ball cricket until he was finally spotted by cricket pundits a few years ago.
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Born in 1999 in Jammu and Kashmir, Umran has only played one List A match and three T20s so far. However, the lanky lad made full use of these opportunities and was recognised by top international cricketers and commentators who saw him bowl those 150+ kph deliveries.
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His List A debut was against Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in February this year. It was not a memorable debut as he went for 98 runs while claiming just one wicket in his 10 overs. Bengal went on to win the contest by 82 runs. Malik’s T20 debut was a lot more memorable. He claimed 3 for 24 against Railways. His victims included opposition skipper Karn Sharma. Thanks to the fast bowler’s heroics, J&K won the contest by seven wickets.
In his early years, he used to play tennis ball matches for Rs 500 or Rs 1000. Parvez Rasool, who has played a couple of matches for India, told PTI that during his initial years, Umran did not have formal coaching. It was only after joining the coaching camp of District Sports Council that his mentoring began. According to Rasool, playing tennis ball cricket has helped Malik’s game as the light weight of the tennis ball means that to generate pace, you need to put in the extra effort.
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According to reports, Malik was not serious about the game till a few years back. According to Randhir Singh Manhas, a coach at the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, the fast bowler took things very lightly in his initial days. Manhas revealed to Sportstar that he would turn up one day and then not come for three days. And again, after a week or so, you would see him bowling at the nets. The coach, however, admitted that he was blessed with the ability to bowl at a raw pace even back then.
