21-Year-Old From Jammu Records Spectacular 150 kmph On His IPL Debut

On Umran Malik's IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Umran Mallik, the son of a local fruit and vegetable vendor, recorded 150 kmph.

It's been a long road for India's newest speed phenomenon, and one that troubled his father, Abdul Mallik, for a while. When Umran went out to play tennis-ball cricket late at night, his father would sneak up behind him. Many young people are ruining their lives by abusing drugs and other substances. He was concerned but Umran persuaded us that the only 'nasha' (high) he gets is from cricket, therefore the family shouldn't be concerned. He used to hide sometimes to watch if he was playing or not. Umran, who began his career four years ago on a concrete field in Gujjar Nagar, has gone from being a net bowler for Sunrisers to rubbing shoulders with the game's greats on match day in the IPL. He had been upsetting partner David Warner at the IPL nets, and on debut, he consistently reached above 140kmph in his maiden over to get the likes of young India sensation Shubman Gill off his feet.

But then, Umran's real journey had begun quite a while back when he landed at the coaching nets near his home without even proper cricketing shoes. Randhir Singh Manhas, the coach stated that he was a simple lanky boy who wanted to bowl in the nets. They had a player who used to play for the J&K team. He saw Umran and told him, that this boy has sheer speed and can be nurtured to play higher cricket. Who knew then that three years down the line he will be playing IPL.

Umran went for the under-19 trials in Jammu and was later picked for the J&K team. He was spotted by J&K veteran Parvez Rasool and coach Irfan Pathan, who were looking for talent across the region.

But Umran's true adventure began a long time ago, when he arrived at the coaching nets near his house without even wearing suitable cricket shoes.

Umran participated in the Jammu under-19 tryouts and was later selected for the J&K team. Parvez Rasool, a J&K veteran, and coach Irfan Pathan, who were hunting for talent across the region, saw him.

Former Indian bowler Pathan was also impressed. Pathan explained that the way the wicket-keeper collected his deliveries, you could tell he was fast. He was born with the ability to bowl swiftly. He, like any other little boy, enjoyed hitting batsmen in the thigh pads. They worked on his high jump while landing because he was a little raw.

Last season, J&K gave Umran a chance by allowing him to play in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy competitions. Soon after, his Sunrisers teammate Abdul Samad recommended him as a net bowler.And when pacer T Natarajan was ruled out due to Covid this season, Umran was given an opportunity to fill in.