Deepesh Devendran is another tearaway fast bowler who is making waves in Indian cricket. In the last IPL, Ashok Sharma clocked the fastest delivery of the league (upwards of 150) and last month earned his India T20I debut in Zimbabwe. Mayank Yadav is another super fast pacer who recently returned from injury to the national ranks in Zimbabwe. Then, during the Afghanistan ODIs, Gurnoor Brar showed very good pace to receive global accolades. He is in India’s Test scheme of things too. He was in the squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June, and continues to be part of the team on the ongoing Test tour of Sri Lanka. Though he is yet to make his Test debut.
So, clearly pace can help catch the attention of selectors. In the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), Deepesh has consistently hit speeds upwards of 140 km/h. One of his deliveries even reached 146 km/h. He bowled in the under-19 World Cup earlier this year at a good pace but now he has really upped the ante in just a matter of months.
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“Bowling fast is something that comes to me naturally,” Deepesh told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t fear that I will get injured, and I’m not worrying about it too much. I know what works for me. I want to be fit, hit my lengths and pannuven (have fun).”
Talking about his 146kmph thunderbolt that cleaned up Jafar Jamal earlier this month in one of the matches, Deepesh said: “I didn’t see the speed gun at that point actually, and it was my team-mates who told me. I thought it may have been around 140kph, but it got up to 146kph. I think after that over, I didn’t do well and gave away some runs, so I didn’t think too much about it and just went to the team hotel.”
The same old trick to get better!
Pakistan legend Wasim Akram has said it on record many times that the only way one can get quicker is through strengthening bowling muscles. Basically, bowl, bowl and bowl. It’s true in Deepesh’s case too.
“I didn’t specifically work to increase my speed to 145kph. I think I did a lot of volume and kept bowling after the World Cup, played [the Chennai] league, and I feel it’s a result of that. I still do the same weights and gym work, but it’s the volume [of bowling] which has increased. I believe my pace has increased to 145 because of bowling more balls,” he said.
The 18-year-old, who is yet to make his Ranji Trophy debut, also credited fellow Tamil Nadu pacer Sandeep Warrier for plying him with useful advice. “After finishing the [multi-day] first division league, I spoke to Sandeep Warrier and asked him for some ideas, and I developed my pace. I feel Sandy Anna [brother] knows my bowling better than I do. Whatever he has advised has worked for me. Apart from Sandy Anna, I speak to AC Prathiban, our bowling coach at Madurai [who is also Varun Chakravarthy’s personal bowling coach],” Deepesh said.