Who is Atul Sharma?

An unknown Indian fast bowler with no first-class experience was blanketed in hype when he picked up a Rajasthan Royals contract earlier this year. He didn't play a game in the Indian Premier League, but the buzz surrounding Atul Sharma was that he was seriously quick. An Indian men's lifestyle magazine Man's World looks at how biomechanics, a javelin coach and training stints in England, South Africa and the US are helping Sharma get closer to his dream of becoming the world's fastest bowler.

Sharma hasn’t played a single club match for seven years and has never played first-class cricket. Heck, he couldn’t even always find a place in his school side. So how has this Mumbaikar got to where he is right now, within sight, assuming he doesn’t fall prey to injuries or is found lacking in big match temperament, of a place in the national side? The answer to that is simple: ever since he first took a cricket ball in his hand, Sharma has wanted to bowl fast, faster than anybody else in the world. And as he grew up, this desire became an all-consuming one, an ambition that disregarded the lack of innate ability