2 min readApr 8, 2026 06:20 AM IST First published on: Apr 8, 2026 at 06:20 AM ISTAshok Sharma’s first training ground was a corridor outside his house in Rampura, 80 kilometres from Jaipur. He only wanted to hit his elder brother, Akshay, hard. When he got the ball in school cricket, batsmen his age ran away. Last weekend, Sharma, 23, clocked 154.2 kph for the Gujarat Titans against the Rajasthan Royals. Like in every IPL season, a new name got attached to a new number on the speed gun. Not far back, there were a couple of tearaways — Delhi’s Mayank Yadav and J&K’s Umran Malik — with explosive bursts to the crease. They could make the cricket ball fly.Sharma is not an unusual story in Indian cricket. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Mohammad Siraj inspire youngsters to pursue the most risky, back-breaking career choice. The talent is emerging from places that would struggle to find mention in cricket’s traditional power map. Bowlers from cricket’s outposts aren’t merely bowling fast; they are crossing the 150 kph barrier.AdvertisementYadav had breached the 150 kph mark, so had Malik. But they learnt that frightening pace doesn’t guarantee a regular place even in IPL sides. Ashok Sharma’s brother Akshay, who gave up his career so his brother could have one, understands this. “I don’t want my brother to be a one-season wonder boy,” he says. The corridor in Rampura led to IPL’s Ahmedabad franchise. Whether it leads to the India jersey depends on what Sharma does after the world stops tracking his speed and starts counting his wickets.