While following the current India South Africa series, you probably haven’t heard of Nathu Singh. But it’s time you do, for he may soon be the face of Indian bowling.
Nathu Singh, 20, is the son of parents who work in a wire factory in Fatehpur was noticed for his raw pace with a tennis ball, and was suggested to try out at an academy. In fact, he was recognized for not only his pace, but his ability to maintain line and length, a crucial factor for fast bowlers.
If you’ve been following Indian cricket, you’ll know we have two kinds of fast bowlers – those who have pace, but spray the ball around like a rhinoceros with diarrhea. Example, Sreesanth and Varun Aaron. On the other hand, we have ‘fast’ bowlers who maintain their line and length, but rarely exceed speeds of 130 km/hr. Example – Ishant Sharma, Bhuvaneswar Kumar.
Nathu Singh has caught the attention of all the right people. Rahul Dravid has put in a good word for Nathu, as have Gautam Gambhir and Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya. Nathu Singh has also caught the attention of the man whose opinion matters the most – Chairman of Selection Committee Sandeep Patil.
In what could be a dream could true, Nathu Singh has been selected to play in the Boards President’s XI vs South Africa in the match before the Test series begins. Nathu will also get to meet his hero, the best fast bowler in the world – Dale Steyn.
While Nathu Singh is an exciting prospect for Indian cricket, one hopes he doesn’t end up like other ‘fast’ bowlers of India. Who get ‘coached’ by experts, and end up dropping their pace and concentrating on swing.
Watch this space for more!
(Featured Image Courtesy: Indian Exress)
