Pace announces itself. It comes at the batter before he has quite finished deciding what he wants to do with the ball.
D. Deepesh, just 18, has been making that announcement rather loudly with Madurai Panthers in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) this season. The 2026 Under-19 World Cup winner has the competition’s highest average speed, at 136.8 kph, and has repeatedly crossed 140, touching 146. He is tall too, releasing the ball from 1.90m, which gives him the ability to extract steeper bounce.
Against Trichy Grand Cholas, a 143 kph delivery gave Jafar Jamal barely 0.48 seconds to react, rushing the batter before sneaking through him. In contrast, he had V.S. Karthick Manikandan caught in the deep off a slower ball against SKM Salem Spartans.
There, perhaps, is the more interesting story. Not that Deepesh can bowl fast, but that he is beginning to learn the uses of speed.
He’s worked on that with his long-time mentor Sandeep Warrier during the two-week gap after the TNCA First Division League.
“I got a good idea. That’s been helpful. We didn’t just work on speed alone. We worked on slower ones and yorkers, and bowling according to the situation. Speed is my natural ability,” he said after his team’s third successive win, against the Spartans, at the NPR College Ground here on Monday.
Their working relationship goes back much further than those two weeks.
“We both play for the same team (Jolly Rovers) in the TNCA First Division League. But I’ve known him from before that. Ever since I started playing in the U-19 circuit, we have spoken a lot and been working closely. He has been very helpful to me.
“In fact, I would say he’s the only person I’ve always spoken to about my bowling. Even this morning, I spoke with him. We discuss my bowling plan before almost every match,” Deepesh said, having finished with three for 38 after a forgettable three-over spell against Vida Kovai Kings, in which he conceded 45.
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The expensive spell came after an economical one for 25 in the opening match against the Grand Cholas. Deepesh acknowledged the support he received after the setback.
“Even after I got hit, the team didn’t let me down. They were very encouraging. The bowling coach (assistant coach A.C. Prathiban) backed me a lot. We spoke about it. Pressure got to me in that situation. So today, I focused on bowling without letting the pressure get to me,” he said.
Even after going for 20 in his first two overs, he took three for 18 in his next two, underlining the mental adjustment he had spoken about.
Published on Aug 11, 2026
