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| If you have the talent to bowl 140 mph consistently, you cannot hide it, even if you try. Nathu Singh has just proved that. Screengrab BCCI TV |
Nathu Singh, the son of a Jaipur factory worker, has been bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 3.2 crore.
Early in life, Nathu Singh's humble background did work against him. He was ignored by Jaipur district team, which could have been a stepping stone and made his tough journey easier.
But if you have the talent to bowl 140 mph consistently, you cannot hide it, even if you try. Nathu Singh has just proved that.
The first major cricketer to spot his talent was Rahul Dravid. In September last year, he called up Amrit Mathur, the man who was in-charge of Rajasthan cricket. "This boy is special, look after him," was the message from The Wall, reported ESPN Cricinfo.
The second big endorsement came from Gautam Gambhir, who lost his wicket to Nathu Singh in the Ranji match. He told the Rajasthan coach Vijay Dahiya that he had seen India material after a long time.
"Please don't ruin him by over bowling," Gambhir said, according to ESPN Cricinfo, which ran a profile on Nathu Singh.
Sandeep Patil watched Nathu Singh play and picked him for Board President's XI against visiting South Africans though he had played only in three first class matches till then.
MRF pace academy's Senthilnathan and Glenn McGrath were equally impressed by him and sent the right tip offs to the right people. Another endorsement came from Venkatesh Prasad at National Cricket Academy, reports The Indian Express.
Many others lent a helping hand to Nathu Singh - BCCI official Subash Joshi, senior players Deepak Chahar and Aniket Choudhury, and so on.
But none more critical than his father Bharat Ram, who on a salary of Rs 8,000, agreed to send him to cricket coaching that cost Rs 10,000 a year.