The 17-year-old has represented Tamil Nadu and has also made an appearance in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).
It is time to add another name to the already promising list of young Indians coming up the ranks. Deepesh Devendran has made headlines for himself after his brilliant spell against Australia U19 in the first Youth Test in Brisbane. The 17-year-old wreaked havoc on the first day of the multi-day match Down Under, showing signs of a good bowling all-rounder.
After the Australians won the toss and elected to bat first, they got off to a decent start in the first five overs. But that’s where the Indians came into the game. Deepesh Devendran and Kishan Kumar bagged a wicket each to reduce the Australians to 30/2 in no time. Steve Hogan was the pick of the batters for the hosts, as he scored a composed 92 before being dismissed by Devendran.
The all-rounder has been a part of the Indian U19 setup since quite some time. He also featured in the Youth ODI games against the England U19 side in July, earlier this year. However, in the ongoing Youth Test, Devendran bagged an impressive five-wicket haul to limit the Australians to a score of 243 at stumps on the first day.
He ended with figures of 5/45, and played a crucial role for the visitors. Devendran bowled with an economy of just a 2.75, which is extremely promising in the multi-day format. Along with the established stars like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and captain Ayush Mhatre, the India management would be pleased to come across new names which keep adding quality to their arsenal.
Fast bowlers are generally divided into the ones who have excess pace, and the ones who lack pace but have great control. It very rarely happens that a bowler goes on to achieve a fine balance between both the abilities. Devendran falls under the second category. He is never known for his pace, but is very accurate – something which shows in his economy rates.
Though express pace has its own merits, accuracy is a trait which many bowlers cannot master. The youngster from Tamil Nadu bowls at a pace of approximately 125kmph, but is known to be tight with his lines and lengths. Devendran thrives on seam movement and discipline rather than simple raw pace. To add to that, he is often looked at as a first-change bowler. One of his greatest strengths would be the ability to bowl longer spells.
If one looks at the Indian U19 setup, Devendran has got an important role to play. The likes of skipper Mhatre and Suryavanshi provide the team with some explosiveness at the top. Though there are players who can bat in the top six and also roll their arm over, medium pace all-rounders are a rare commodity. This is where the 17-year-old has got a tremendous case for himself.
In just two Youth Tests, Devendran has scalped seven wickets, five of which have come in the ongoing Test. He possesses an economy of 4.20, which is not bad for a medium pacer at the junior level. In Youth ODIs, Devendran has bagged three wickets at an economy of 6.79, which is what he would love to work on.
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With the emergence of various leagues around the country, there would be an ocean of opportunities for the young all-rounder. If Devendran manages to prove his mettle with consistent performances like these, he would make his way up the ladder quickly. Moreover, his action and release allow him to generate a good bounce and carry off the wicket.
The 17-year-old medium pacer often finds his way to the bowling crease in the middle overs in the 50-over format. The skills for a bowler required to bowl in the middle-overs are more control-oriented and Devendran has mastered the skill. His ability to generate bounce from length is what makes life difficult for the batters. He would aim to become a regular in the Tamil Nadu domestic setup.
To add to that, the youngster usually bowls long spells which range over 10-12 overs. This is a good indication of his fitness levels. Even in the domestic leagues, he is used as a supportive bowler to control the run-flow in the middle-overs. Most of his wickets are a result of seam movement off the deck, which takes the batter by surprise.
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