'Making of Umran Malik': First coach Manhas remembers 17-year-old terrorising Ranji batters at nets

Randhir Singh Manhas during a winter day in 2017 when a 17-year-old boy walked up to him during a net session at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu's Nawabad Area. "Sir, kya aap mujhe ball daalne dengey? (Could you allow me to bowl)," Manhas remembered the short and stout boy's request while senior state team batter Jatin Wadhawan was having a knock at the nets. "What's your name?" "Umran Malik," replied the boy, who had dropped in at the net session without bowling spikes.

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The son of a fruit vendor rattled Gujarat's big guns including skipper Hardik Pandya, Wriddhiman Saha and David Miller to earn rich praise from cricketing greats. Former Test captain Sunil Gavaskar had already predicted Umran Malik would play for India and, after the express bowler's five-wicket

Manhas obliged but till date, he has failed to figure out whether it was his gut feel or just wanting to be indulgent with a young boy, that made him agree to the request. He had a bowler short at the nets, though. Whatever it was, Manhas' role in giving a precocious talent wings to fly is beyond doubt. The seeds of the express pace deliveries that Umran is hurling at the best of batters under intense pressure on a platform like the IPL, were sown that very day at the MA Stadium. It was the birth of Umran Malik, the fastest bowler in the history of Indian cricket, who has made heads turn with 15 wickets in just eight games in this edition of the T20 league.

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Fast bowling has always been a very exciting thing to watch on a cricket field. A genuine fast