For contracts involving fast bowling, the BCCI selected young speedsters Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa as part of a carefully selected group.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has awarded retainership contracts to a select group of rising Indian speedsters, including tearaway Umran Malik, Bengal speedster Akash Deep, who made his Test debut in Ranchi during the current red-ball series against England, and highly-rated Karnataka pacer Vidwath Kaverappa. As part of a specifically selected group for fast bowling contracts, the BCCI on Wednesday selected prospective speedsters Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa. The highest cricket governing organization in the nation, the BCCI, announced through an official statement on Wednesday that “the Selection Committee has also recommended Fast Bowling contracts for the following athletes – Akash Deep, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Umran Malik, Yash Dayal, and Vidwath Kaverappa.”
Umran Malik made his limited-overs debut for India after he lit up the speedometer during his breakout season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, reaching speeds of more than 150 kmph.
But Umran lost favour with the national selectors after posting mediocre results in his limited-overs cricket career for India. In the current Ranji season, the 24-year-old Jammu boy has struggled, taking just four wickets in five games for Jammu and Kashmir.
But Umran’s ability to bowl at a fast pace and unleash blistering toe-crushers at will was evident to all during the 2022 IPL season, as he took 22 wickets in just 14 games. Umran’s sheer pace gives him a real menace to hitters, and when the IPL resumes in March, he will be hoping for another successful campaign.
In the current Ranji season, the state’s bowling asset has been uncapped Karnataka pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak, who is more than capable of hitting 140 kmph. At an average of 23.61, he has now claimed 39 wickets in 10 games.
He gained notoriety in the 2023 Indian Premier League while playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He took nine scalps in seven games as a member of the Bengaluru team.
Vidwath Kaverappa, Vyshak’s countryman, is a tall, quick bowler who blends raw pace with variations in length and speed. The 6.1-foot paceman can extract noticeable seam and swing from the surface in addition to his stock ball, which is toss down the middle of the pitch and get the hitter to bounce uncomfortably. He has taken 25 wickets in 5 matches so far this Ranji season, including a 10-wicket haul (4/99 and 6/61) against Vidarbha in the Ranji quarterfinal.
Much higher returns have been made in domestic cricket by Uttar Pradesh’s Yash Dayal, a left-arm bowler who gained notoriety after finisher Rinku Singh hit him for five straight sixes in an IPL thriller involving the Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders.
The 26-year-old has taken 72 wickets at an average of 29.26 in domestic cricket, demonstrating that his bowling variety is far more than just low full deliveries that Rinku despatched to the stands. Future prospects should keep an eye on him thanks to his accurate bouncers and quick in-swinging deliveries.
Eventually, the cricket world sat up and took attention when Benglal’s ace Akash Deep broke the English order in a stunning opening spell during his Test debut in Ranchi. Following his initial capture of two wickets in the first innings, Akash made superb figures of 3/83 after dismissing opener Ben Duckett, who has been outstanding in this series. Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, the protagonist of England’s triumph in the first game of the series in Hyderabad, were his other two victims.
Akash proved early in the piece that he could move the ball both ways and get it to go off the seam during a time that had the Englishmen on their knees. During his stint, the ball that split Crawley in half and launched his off-stump skyward was the greatest. He was judged to have overstepped the line, hence the wicket was rejected. With an average of 23.70, Akash has amassed 107 wickets in 31 First Class games.
Akash has also made appearances for RCB in two seasons of the IPL. In seven games over two seasons, he has taken six wickets at an average of 44.00.
