What could be the initial thoughts that flash in the mind while scrolling through the Indian Under-19 squad for the World Cup to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia this month? Perhaps the firepower in the batting department is the cornerstone of the line-up. However, to win a tournament, you also need a group of potent pace bowlers. So, what about the Indian pace stocks for the tournament? Here at Revsportz, we explore India’s pace-bowling options for the Under-19 World Cup.
Deepesh Devendran – Deepesh, who hails from Tamil Nadu, is the X-factor in the pace-bowling department. Probably his biomechanics play a role in his success. In summary, the upper part of his body goes past the perpendicular, helping him to cause problems for the batters with his awkward angles. Most of the deliveries are set to come into the right-hand batter at an angle, and then for the odd one to straighten or leave the right-hander a tad. Deepesh also bowls with a fair bit of pace.
He has also put on some fine performances at the Under-19 level, exemplified by his rich haul of 10 wickets at an average of 9.8 in the Youth Tests in Australia. In the Under-19 Asia Cup, in the group phase, he bagged a five-for against Malaysia and picked up a three-for versus Pakistan Under-19. Although in the final, Pakistan Under-19 chiseled out a way versus their nemesis. Despite his obvious promise, Deepesh’s bowling might come with a label of – Handle his loads with care.
RS Ambrish – Ambrish, who too is from Tamil Nadu, doesn’t just bowl at a fair clip but is a useful left-hand batter as well. Just like Deepesh, he mostly nips the ball back into the right-hander and has a fine surprise short ball. During the Under-19 tour of England, he took eight wickets in the one-dayers and six in the Youth Tests.
Although he didn’t find a great deal of success in the Under-19 tour of Australia, here is a cricketer to watch out for. Indian cricket is always on the lookout for pace-bowling all-rounders, and Ambrish could be in the selection mix in the near future.
Kishan Singh – The 19-year-old Bihar-born Uttar Pradesh pace bowler brings left-arm variety into the attack. The skiddy pacer does possess a sharp inswinger by the looks of it. He blends that weapon with a delivery that leaves the right-hander from over the wicket. Kishan also has a well-directed short ball, alongside shifting to a round-the-wicket angle as and when needed.
Ahead of the World Cup, Kishan gave glimpses of his potential with seven wickets in the one-day games versus South Africa Under-19. He also finished with 30 wickets in the Cooch Behar trophy.
On a side note, one of Kishan’s heroes is the legendary Dale Steyn and he has trained at the Ashish Nehra cricket academy. Kishan has also been a net bowler at Gujarat Titans.
Henil Patel – Henil is one of the taller pacers in the squad. The seam bowler from Gujarat, who has a rather rhythmic approach to the crease, generates a decent amount of pace. More importantly, he does extract a bit of nifty movement off the deck, illustrated by his eye-catching nip-backer to remove Y Rai of the UAE in the Under-19 Asia Cup.
Henil took 8 wickets in total during India Under-19’s England tour. He then returned with an impressive haul of six wickets at an average of 7.33 in the Youth Tests in Australia. In the forthcoming World Cup, he can turn out to be a trustworthy member of the support cast.
