CHENNAI: Four overs. It was all that it took for the Indian Premier League (IPL) to unearth a raw diamond called Umran Malik. At 21, he had everything you want from a fast bowler. A smooth, clean action, and clocking 150 kmph effortlessly... even for a country that has seen pacers rattle batters consistently in the recent past, Umran still got everyone excited. That is what speed does.
Comparisons were quick. The action, a fair few noted, was akin to that of a young Waqar Younis. It didn’t matter he was still raw and at that time was yet to play any first-class match. Yet, he was there in the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad, rubbing shoulders with the best and being the talk of the town.
Like his deliveries, even his career has been on the fast-track. Three years ago, he was struggling to get into Jammu & Kashmir’s age-group teams. Last October, he was bowling to Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers in the IPL, and in November was making his first-class debut for India A against South Africa A. The talent met opportunity at the IPL, but mind you, he is still a raw diamond.
But what better place than the Ranji Trophy to polish it. As the premier domestic tournament resumed after nearly 23 months, it served as a timely reminder why it is relevant. This is the breeding ground, and sans the Ranji Trophy, there is every chance that Umran could go the way Kamran Khan did.
For Umran, the grinding has just begun. On Thursday, as he made his Ranji Trophy debut against Pondicherry at the SSN College grounds in Chennai, it gave a glimpse of how India’s domestic programme works. Debashish Mohanty, one of the national selectors, was at Guru Nanak College to watch the Karnataka vs Railways match where Mayank Agarwal and Devdutt Padikkal were playing. With Karnataka in total control, he made the 50km journey to watch Umran bowl his final spell.
Even before Mohanty arrived, it was evident how Umran was being tested. Stationed at fine-leg, he was watching senior pacer Ram Dayal – among those who spotted him – and Auqib Nabi operate with discipline. But Pondicherry had got off to good start and it was Umran who proved to be the ultimate difference with his pace. In the first spell where he bowled only two overs, he removed Neyan Kangayan and Aravind K to give Jammu & Kashmir the break-throughs.
Umran may have thought it is all too easy. But, he was yet to face any form of test. And none tested him as much as Paras Dogra. A veteran who has played for Himachal Pradesh, and now part of Pondicherry as a professional, he has faced the best in his 118 first-class matches. On a day where Umran’s pace hurried other batters, Dogra stood tall to scored his 29th first-class century as Pondicherry ended Day 1 at 309/6.
As Dogra in the company of D Rohit and S Karthik went about building a strong foundation, Ian Chauhan could have made Umran bowl long. Instead, he was giving his young pacer, all the time to get into his groove. For a player who didn’t play regular cricket till 17, Umran is still learning the trade. He isn’t used to bowling long spells, and here Chauhan used him in spells of two, three, two, three, and four.
And with each spell, Umran was made to grind. As the day wore on, he strayed down the leg and even bowled eight no-balls. One of them handed Dogra a lifeline. In his third spell, he was testing Dogra with short-pitched deliveries. By now, the middle-order batter had not only got used to his pace, but knew what was coming. Till his final spell, Umran didn’t even have a mid-on. He had only short-leg and fine-leg fielder on the leg side. And Chauhan had just moved the fine-leg fielder a bit squarer when Dogra went for a pull, which found Dayal. The third umpire relayed the message Umran had overstepped.
It was the point from where it started getting difficult for Umran. While his pace never reduced in the third and fourth spells, he went for runs. He even got the wicket of a well-set S Karthik, but his economy rate of 5.64 said a story. There will be more and more pitches like this, where more equipped batters will test him. Over to Umran to embrace the challenges. By the looks of it, he seems ready for it.