Remember Atul Sharma, the fast bowler who despite not playing a single first-class match was picked up by the now-defunct Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2009?
The pacer had recorded speeds over about 160 kmph at the nets, and was considered one of the fastest bowlers around in the country. Unfortunately, though, Sharma was forced to take a long break from cricket just days before the start of the 2009 IPL, suffering a muscle tear in his shoulder while fielding during a practice game.
However, the 27-year-old is fit again now, ready to start from scratch. "When I was selected for Rajasthan Royals, everyone was awestruck, because never before was a player selected without playing a first-class match. So now that I'm returning to cricket, I want to show everyone the reason I was picked for the Royals. I will play in the lowest division clubs, and when people see me bowling, I'm confident the bigger clubs will offer me a contract," Sharma said.
With a run up of just about 30 metres, Sharma can constantly touch the 160 kmph mark without even a jump. "It's not about how much of a run up I take," he said. "It's the action. I turn sideways about 10-12 metres before the crease, accelerate and then release the ball. My action is similar to that of a javelin thrower."
And there's a reason for that. "I wanted to bowl fast. I knew that bowlers could bowl fast had something more than just talent. You watch baseball and javelin, and you will realise that one doesn't need a long run up to throw so fast."
"So, in 2008, I contacted Jeff Gorski, the world javelin champion. He coaches javelin at the University of North Carolina. I told him that I wanted to bowl fast. He said he could coach me the basics of javelin and it was up to me to implement it in my bowling. I trained rigorously with him. I learnt strength conditioning. It was not a gym workout but lifting tyres and stuff like that. Much like how a boxer trains," Sharma said.
Now that he has returned to the sport, which format of the game is he looking to play. Surely, bowling in the longer format will be a huge challenge with his speed. "I want to play cricket, that's all. The format doesn't matter. The training I've undergone was so intense that I think I could bowl at that speed for days. I just cannot wait to get on the cricket field and show everyone what I can do with the ball," he said.
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