Whirlwind from Gujarat

"This bloke's quick, where did he come from?" asked a surprised Steve Waugh as a quick delivery thudded into the splice of his MRF bat. Having a brief knock in the MRF Pace Foundation nets in Chennai, more promotional than anything else, Waugh was taken aback by the pace and bounce he was up against. While the majority of bowlers floated deliveries through for Waugh to punch off the back foot, one tall, bearded youngster pinged him with short stuff - off four paces. "How many first class matches has he played? How many wickets has he taken?" Waugh had many questions then, and now, so does half the country. Who the hell is Munaf Patel?

A year ago, Kiran More spotted a well-built youngster at his nets in Baroda, still a stripling, charging in and letting the ball rip at speed. More, sensing that there was more to Patel than just raw speed, instantly thought of TA Sekhar and the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai. "He came to me in the off season and I'd put him through training in my academy," said More. "First it was only fitness and speed training and he responded well. Then he played in local matches and took wickets. He still has to make his first-class debut. That will be a big thing for him. He has the talent but needs to perform."

Apparently, at least three Ranji teams are interested in Patel already. Gujarat, where he's from, Baroda, where More spotted him, and the big one - Mumbai.

First-class cricket might still be a while away, but Patel is already making waves. Just days ago he ran through the Spic-TNCA XI in the final of the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai. The batting line-up included Tamil Nadu stalwarts like S Suresh, S Ramesh and S Sharath; Patel grabbed 7 for 78.

Sekhar wasn't surprised in the least at Patel's success. In his playing days, Sekhar was considered one of the quickest in the country, and yet, with no specialised training or coaching, played just two Tests for India before fading out. He's keen the same thing doesn't happen to Patel. "When he came here he had a mixed action. His back foot was facing the wicket but his top half was like a side-on bowler. He was also bowling a bit round-arm. Dennis [Lillee] saw him and opened his action up a bit, to avoid back injuries. Munaf found his new action very comfortable, started bowling better outswingers and also got a bit quicker."

In recent times, there's been a sometimes unhealthy obsession with bowling speeds. The thought that India might have actually unearthed an out-and-out fast bowler gets the nerves tingling. "He's got the potential to become the fastest bowler in our country," says Sekhar. "Once he gets into his rhythm he'll easily clock over 145 kph. Fast bowlers over a period of time get refined and increase their pace. If he continues to do his fitness training and stays with us [the MRF Pace Foundation] for a year or so he might even hit 150 kph."

Speed apart, Patel is the sort of bowler India could do with right now. He's too young to have picked up any bad bowling habits. He's raw enough to want to bust his guts bowling on flat wickets. He's had the benefit of training under fast-bowling experts early in his career. He's fit, strong, well over six feet tall and hits the deck hard. Batsmen who've faced him fear his yorker and are surprised by the fact that he can keep a decent line and length going despite bending his back over in extreme effort.

But isn't this the Zaheer Khan story all over again? Weren't we all shouting from the rooftops about him when he first arrived? Again, Sekhar makes a telling point. "Munaf has natural pace. There are some people who have fast-twitch muscles and can bowl quick; Munaf is one of them. Zaheer built up his speed over the years. When he first came to the pace foundation, speed was not his main strength. Sure, Zaheer was quicker than many of the others around. But he really reached peak pace only after a couple of years of working on fitness, improving technique and training constantly."

Not bad for Patel then. Waugh, Sekhar, Lillee, More ... everyone has only good things to say. Ironically, his is the sort of story we normally hear from across the border, in Pakistan - small-town boy with immense talent being picked up and groomed for big things. Whether he's allowed to build on his strengths and grow as a fast bowler will depend as much on the Indian cricket system as Patel himself. Alarm bells went off when one former Indian fast bowler passed on some wisdom to Patel at the preparatory camp in Bangalore. Word has it that several fundamentals that Patel learned in his time at the MRF Pace Foundation were turned upside down.

That's the last thing this simple boy from the hamlet of Ikhar in Baruch, Gujarat, needs. A year ago, he didn't own a pair of bowling spikes, now he's being lectured by his idols on everything from straightening his run-up to shining the ball. What he really needs is time to work on his craft and strengthen his body, and he will be the genuine quick Indians have always longed for.