P.T.I.
India's U-19 seamer Naman Tiwari wants to bowl the fastest ball in the world. Inspiration came from watching videos of the game's greats and talking to Jasprit Bumrah.
Tiwari, a left-arm fast bowler who is in the spotlight at the ongoing Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, has found that the tips he received from Bumrah at the NCA in Bangalore are working like magic.
Tiwari, who hails from Lucknow, troubles batsmen with his yorkers and speed, picking up 10 wickets in his five matches so far, including two four-wicket hauls.
“Bumrah is a source of inspiration for us,” Tiwari told PTI Basha on the sidelines of a practice session at the Willow Moorpark Stadium. “I watch a lot of his bowling videos. I met him a few times at NCA and we talked a lot about bowler mentality and skills.
“He explained a lot. [of things to me], was helpful.He taught me how to bowl an accurate yorker, and I practiced a lot. [on that aspect] Follow his advice. We have to work hard to bring more aggression to our bowling.
“I try to learn something from all my favorite bowlers. I try to watch his game, understand it and learn from it.” [Bumrah’s] video. I really like Shoaib Akhtar's speed, Dale Steyn's swing and Mitchell Starc's aggressiveness. ”
Tiwari originally wanted to be a batsman, but due to lack of opportunities, he turned to bowling.
“I started playing cricket as a batsman, but I didn't get many chances,” he said. “So I started bowling at an academy in Lucknow. I am a left-handed player, so I became a left-arm fast bowler.”
His father was an LIC agent and the pressure to focus on his studies was immense considering his middle-class background. But his heart was in cricket.
“My dad always told me to focus on my studies.I was 7th in standard so I wanted to play cricket.I told my dad that I wanted to prove myself in cricket. My family is very happy with my success today.”
“My dad calls me every night. [family] When I'm happy, I'm really glad I didn't disappoint them. ”
Tiwari's goal is to become a deadly fast bowler and play Test cricket for India.
“One day I want to throw the fastest ball in the world and I want to play in the World Cup with the first team. But for now I have to focus on performance. “In the future it will be even bigger and we will have to prepare the base to compete against them.
Tiwari was satisfied with the team's performance so far in the U-19 World Cup and said it was a result of team effort.
“So far, the performance of all the players has been very good. We showed great spirit, especially in the semi-final against South Africa. I am very happy with the way we played and we hope to continue this momentum in the final. I want to strive to
“I like all formats, but I feel Test cricket is the most difficult. That's where the real test of a bowler lies and I want to become a good Test cricketer in the future.”
