Bowling fast, learning faster for rookie Nathu
He may have hit the headlines for his ability to bowl really quick, but Nathu Singh was still only four first-class matches old. And unsettling domestic batsmen with steep bounce was fine, but he was left with nerves jangling the first time on an international platform.
The young Rajasthan tearaway has risen in a matter of weeks as a bowler with rich potential, but his pace alone wasn’t enough to hurt the mighty South Africans in the two-day game in Mumbai. While pace was his main weapon, Nathu admitted he was overawed.
“I was a bit nervous before the game and there was pressure on me. There was a crowd as well. Most importantly, I had thought I would be able to bowl according to my plan. All this showed in my bowling, but thankfully skipper Cheteshwar Pujara was always by my side to ease the pressure,” he said. Having butterflies in the stomach is normal with newcomers, but trying to do too much can also prevent one from making a big first impression. For Nathu Singh, his decision to alter his line of attack proved the undoing. “I have got success by hitting the deck in Ranji games. But just before this game, I thought I should bowl length and try and get wickets with swing,” he said. Being flooded with phone calls from friends asking him to get the prized scalps of AB De Villiers and Hashim Amla only raised the anxiety level. “I thought they will be good at playing the short stuff and my pace and bounce might not pose any trouble. So I decided to move the ball from the front foot area. I was happy beating de Villiers a couple of times but found it tough against Amla. He was really sharp on the back foot,” said Nathu, whose returned a modest 1/56. “On a scale of one to 10, I guess I fared at around 5-6.”
Nathu also has a habit of bowling no-balls. Against South Africa, he over-stepped seven times in his 14.4-over spell. “My body wasn’t warmed up fully, and I was trying a bit too hard.”
Few cricketers get to play an international side after just four first-class games, and this experience should help. “Now I know my strengths and will stick to my style for the rest of the Ranji games.”