Finding the pace

Growing up, until Under-16 level, Deepesh was a batsman. By Under-19, he had evolved into a fast bowler. “Reason elam onum ila na… fast ah pota oru vibe kedaikkum,” Deepesh tells The Indian Express: there’s no real reason, if you bowl fast, there’s a vibe to it. “I love watching Dale Steyn, I wasn’t inspired by anyone. I didn’t play cricket wanting to get selected to any team. I’m playing because I love bowling fast. I don’t know where it will take me,” he says.

At the Under-19 World Cup, he clocked 140kmph, but when he delivered the fastest ball at the TNPL, he had no idea it was coming. He admits he was definitely bowling faster than ever before. “I didn’t specifically work to increase my speed to 145kph. I did a lot of volume and kept bowling after the World Cup. Played the Chennai league and I feel it’s a result of that. I still do the same weights and gym work, but it’s the volume of bowling which has increased. I believe my pace has increased to 145 because of bowling more balls,” he says.

A father’s blueprint

Cricket runs in Deepesh’s blood. His father, V Devendran, played for Tamil Nadu in the inaugural edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. With Deepesh showing an interest in cricket, Devendran enrolled his son in swimming at age 10, to build a strong physique. “I was his first coach, so I don’t know if that is the reason, he doesn’t open up to me,” Devendran says. “Bowling fast is fine. He needs to understand red-ball cricket is real cricket. Bowling four overs a day shouldn’t be enough. I’m preparing him to bowl long. When he is here at home, I make him bowl 25 overs a day. Batsman ah slip la thooka na thaan Sir dhool,” he adds: you need to get batsmen dismissed in the slip cordon.

The complete package

AC Pratheepan, Madurai’s bowling coach, has experienced first-hand what Deepesh provides to his team. For Pratheepan, Deepesh is a wholesome package. “He is a character. Many people have said before that fast bowlers are scary characters, and he is a proper character. Every captain will love to have a fast bowler like him in their team. He is always ready for the fight, he will not shy away. He will go hard and look to bowl quick. It is not like ‘I will control and if I hit a good length, it is enough.’ He wants control as well as speed,” he says.

Growing up, until Under-16 level, Deepesh was a batsman. By Under-19, he had evolved into a fast bowler. (TNPL)

What has also caught Pratheepan’s attention is Deepesh’s indifference to the numbers. “He is not a person who looks at his numbers. After each game, he will ask, ‘how did I bowl?’ He asks for that feedback, doesn’t matter if he got wickets or not. At this level, most are after numbers because that is what will take you to the next level. With him, he is different. Since he has pace, now it is all about getting control,” Pratheepan adds.

Beyond raw pace

Deepesh isn’t about pace alone. At the Under-19 World Cup, he showed a slower-ball bouncer that is hard to pick, and has since gone about adding variations, including the off-cutter and the dipping yorker. These variations are a by-product of working with Tamil Nadu pacer Sandeep Warrier, with whom he plays for Jolly Rovers in the Chennai league. “To be honest, Deepesh has it in him. It is all about sharing the experience and helping him develop. At 18-19, if you can learn as much as you can, when he hits the peak in a couple of years, he can be a complete fast bowler. So I just share my experiences and guide him about load, and de-loading, and how to manage the body,” Warrier says.

Early in his own career, Warrier was known for clocking over 140kmph, and though he went on to become a reliable red-ball bowler, he struggled for consistency in white-ball cricket. It is something he wants Deepesh to avoid. “With Deepesh, he bowls a lot, which is not common these days. From Under-19, he has to take the next step. If he can learn at 18, it will help him a lot. With the red ball, you can find the rhythm once you get the control. But to be an all-format pacer, you need to add variations. I had nobody to help me when it comes to white-ball cricket, so I’m just sharing my knowledge, so that when he breaks the big doors soon and plays the Ranji Trophy, IPL and for India, he’s ready. Deepesh isn’t obsessed about speed. He wants to bowl fast, but be a complete pacer,” Warrier adds.