“I don’t want to be just about pace.” For someone who recently made waves with a blistering pace of 147.3 kmph, 17-year-old fast bowler R D Pranav Ragavendra has a steady head on his shoulders.
The Chennai teenager, who is expected to star in India’s U-19 tour of England this month-end, recently clocked 147.3 kmph, the fastest by any India U-19 cricketer at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, where he has been training.
The 150-kmph mark in fast bowling is considered a hallowed landmark, where Indians usually don’t tread. Of late, there have been a couple of young Indian pacers — 25-year-old Umran Malik and 22-year-old Mayank Yadav — who have had the ball blur across at such rapid speeds, but Pranav is the youngest of the lot to approach that stratosphere. Those who work with him say he has the potential to breach the 150 kmph soon, and it won’t be a surprise if he does that on India U-19 tour of England, where the team is set to play two Tests and five ODIs starting June 27.
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Yet, as Ragavendra says, he doesn’t want to “just about pace”.
“I love speed and I want to bowl fast. It always feels great when you scare batsmen with bouncers and hit their gloves with the hard length. To continue doing it, I have to work on a lot of aspects, including accuracy, which is why I don’t keep an eye on the speed gun,” he tells The Indian Express.
For now, he says, he is working on “building his base”.
“To bowl fast, I need to ensure fitness remains my top priority and for that, I need to take care of myself by doing the right things. Be it skillset training or fitness drills or recovery… everything is non-negotiable if I have to be part of next year’s U-19 World Cup and beyond,” he says.
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With a long, steady run-up, Pranav has a smooth, open-chested action with the in-dipper being his stock delivery.
But fast bowling was not Pranav’s first love. As a child, he wanted to be a sprinter, who, even before his teens, was clocking 13.76 m in a 100-m race.
“Cricket came into his life on the recommendation of a doctor. After Pranav had a sibling, he seemed distracted. From being the centre of everyone’s attention, he saw the focus shifting to his younger brother. He was in a lonely territory and when we consulted a doctor, he advised us to put him in a team game so that he has company at all times. That’s how the switch from sprint to cricket happened,” says Pranav’s father E Rajendran.
And once he picked up the red cherry, Pranav wanted to spear it as fast as he could. Last year, when he was 16, with pace legend Glenn McGrath overseeing the camp at the MRF Pace Foundation, Pranav touched 139 kmph and word began to spread about this exciting fast-bowling prospect.
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Last Ranji season, Pranav was named in the Tamil Nadu squad and played two matches. And then, last week, he was included in India’s Under-19 squad for the upcoming tour of England.
“Pace has always been his strength. When I first saw him, he was bowling in the early 130 (kmph), but now, in a span of just two years, he has been consistently bowling between 135-145 kmph. Speed comes naturally to him and right now, it is all about gaining control. He is still in a developmental stage, so he may even add a few extra yards of pace. But for a boy of his age, he is already very quick. We have to nurture him and protect him. Speed shouldn’t become an obsession because what matters is control. The good thing is, even he understands it,” says M Senthilnathan, the head coach of MRF Pace Foundation.
For Tamil Nadu, a state that has been struggling in recent times with its pace attack, Pranav’s arrival has got many excited. Alongside Pranav, there is D Deepesh, who also clocks in excess of 140, and is part of the reserves.
Overseeing the fitness of this pace duo is Ramji Srinivasan, who was previously part of the Indian team for nearly a decade.
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“Pranav is definitely a talent for the future, but the most important thing is that he has to be protected and nurtured so that he maximises his potential… We saw what Australia did with Pat Cummins. Similarly, we have put in place a long-term athlete development programme so that he peaks at the right time,” Ramji says.
Ramji’s emphasis on fitness isn’t without reason. In recent times, the likes of Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who came through the U19 ranks, and Umran Malik and Mayank Yadav — all express-quick bowlers — have all struggled with long-term injuries.
It’s a trap Ramji wants Pranav to avoid. “If you are bowling that quick, he needs to have a strong foundation. He is at his growth stage, so the core has to be built – including the base which will empower him. The mechanics of it have to be developed according to his need. A comprehensive diet plan and recovery plan will help him grow. We need to show patience for him to develop into an adult. Young athletes are not finished products,” says Ramji. “We shouldn’t repeat the same mistakes like we have done with others.”
