The Long Wait: Umran, Mayank, and India's Quest for Fast Bowlers

Mumbai: Fast bowling is a demanding craft. When executed to perfection, it evokes a raw, intense reaction from all those involved. The batsman is on high alert, aware that every moment counts. Fielders brace themselves for the ball hurtling towards them. Spectators are unable to tear their eyes away, fully absorbing the intense atmosphere. Meanwhile, the fast bowler remains singularly focused on one goal: bowling at lightning speed.

From Wes Hall to Jeff Thomson, from Shoaib Akhtar to Brett Lee — there have been fast bowlers who, over the years, have enthralled with their high-adrenalin approach. And just a few seasons ago, India’s fans were getting ready to be treated to quite the same fare. Umran Malik claimed 22 wickets in the 2022 IPL season and left everyone wondering whether he should be fast-tracked into the national team. He was quick, he was mad but he was also very raw.

Injuries derailed his progress, and then the pacer from Jammu and Kashmir seemed to stall. Just as fans seemed to be forgetting about him, another speedster, Mayank Yadav, burst onto the scene in the 2024 IPL season. He played just four matches before his body broke down but he did enough in those games to set the season buzzing.

As the second round of the Duleep Trophy kicked off on Thursday, everyone was excited to see the two fast bowlers in action again. But they went missing again. So, what is their status now? Will they be in the reckoning for the Australia tour?

Umran is recovering from dengue and Yadav is undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy for the injury (side strain) suffered during the Indian Premier League (IPL). Umran hasn’t played since March and Mayank since April, their last competitive outings coming in the IPL.

The red ball tournament was supposed to be the perfect platform to check their form and fitness, but the air of uncertainty that hangs around them is anything but pleasant.

For India, the two are precious gems, gifted with the rare ability to bowl at speeds of over 150kmph. The early season is crucial because if fully fit and ready to play, they can provide great back-up options to the Indian team for the tour of Australia. On the pitches Down Under, the extra pace holds the key.

As per the India team’s thinktank, the Duleep Trophy was going to be the first step towards training them for the shadow tour of Australia by the India A team. That would have got them fully ready in case they needed to be blooded into Test action straightaway.

With five Tests scheduled this time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India’s fast bowlers will have a lot of bowling coming their way. Keeping the pacers fresh by giving them breaks will be important. For the rest and rotation policy to work, the team will need a pool of quality fast bowlers who can serve as decent back-ups for Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

Both Umran and Mayank are still a work-in-progress and hence the importance of testing their level in a good domestic competition. In 22-year-old Mayank’s case, there is a question mark on whether his body can take the workload of long spells. The 24-year-old Umran has a different challenge. A natural talent, his issue is control and the bowling smarts.

The India coaches have tasked Umran’s state side, Jammu & Kashmir, to give him more exposure in first-class cricket. Towards that goal, he was part of the J&K team last year for five first-class games. Even though some of the matches were weather affected, according to the team’s bowling coach, P Krishnakumar, the period saw a lot of improvement in Umran’s bowling.

The missed opportunity means that the fast bowler will now only have three Ranji Trophy games to prove himself before the Australia series.

Mayank, meanwhile, is doing his red-ball preparation at the NCA, bowling 10-15 overs daily, according to his Delhi club coach, Devender Sharma.

“He is fit and bowling full throttle under the guidance of VVS Laxman,” said Devender. “The main focus is on strenghtening his muscles under the BCCI trainer. When I spoke to him, apne tarike se full tyarri kar raha hai long spell ki (his preparation is focussed on red-ball cricket). After the injury, BCCI is planning to make him first play in the shorter formats.”

Mayank’s technique is good and action smooth. The work with him is mainly physical fitness and working on his injury prone body. The J&K coach’s job is tougher because he has to get Umran to start thinking strategy.

“When I joined, Mithun Manhas who is the director of cricket, J&K, asked me why Umran is not able to swing the ball consistently. He used to swing the ball but not consistently. I told him that he is not pitching in the 6-7 metre mark,” said Krishnakumar, a NCA Level 3 coach, who has also coached left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed at Rajasthan.

The results are showing, Krishnakumar believes. But the proof of the pudding will be when he manages to do that in a game.