For six to nine months, Ishan Sood bowled just one delivery. It was a good length ball aimed at the top of off stump.
He bowled it again and again, with a single cricket ball for company.
That patience is now showing at the Under-19 Asia Cup. Ishan is 17 and comes from Morinda in Punjab.
He stands 6 feet 4 inches tall, a frame that makes a fast bowler stand out.
Eight wickets in three matches tell part of the story. Against Nepal, he took three wickets for 18 runs.
Graphic: News Anek, from the facts in this report
Against Pakistan, he took one for 36 in nine overs. Against the UAE, he took four wickets for 37 runs in seven overs.
Key points
- Ishan Sood, 17, is a fast bowler from Morinda, Punjab.
- He has taken eight wickets in three matches at the Under-19 Asia Cup.
- His father, Dheeraj, leads his training, using online videos and research.
- Social media has compared him with senior fast bowler Ishant Sharma, but it is an early comparison.
So how did a boy from Morinda get this far?
There is no full coaching setup behind Ishan. For years, the work has mostly been done by two people, Ishan and his father.
Dheeraj sold his garment showroom to take charge of his son's training.
Their classroom is the cricket ground. It is also YouTube, Google, social media and, more recently, ChatGPT.
They watch videos, share them and discuss what they find.
Dheeraj said they study what other bowlers do. They then work out what Ishan needs to learn or practise.
This can be a new bowling variation, a gym exercise, a diet need or a technical change.
What makes his bowling stand out?
The control is what catches the eye most. Ishan keeps returning to a tight line on the top of off stump.
This makes batters play at the ball, rather than leave it.
He can swing the ball both ways in the air.
When bowling from a wide angle to a right-hander, he can also make the ball straighten after it hits the pitch.
A yorker is a fast delivery aimed at the batter's feet, and he has one too.
Is he being compared with anyone yet?
Social media has already compared Ishan with Ishant Sharma.
The comparison is based on the height, the lanky frame and the ball that straightens after pitching.
But it is an early comparison. Ishan himself has a long way to go, and his story is still unfolding.
