Image caption, Umran Malik is India's fastest bowler

The newest fast bowling sensation in India is Umran Malik, who is bowling consistently at speeds above 90mph. The cricketer is from Indian-administered Kashmir.

Imagine you are an accomplished batter, playing in the top order of a team in the most high-profile cricket league in the world.

You have the skills to deal with the best bowlers. The economy rate is the number of runs a bowler concedes per over, and it is north of eight per over for a 22-year-old rookies.

You can use the rookies pace to send the ball flying. It is a bit of a blur. The shot had been conceived and you were ready to take it. The ball burst through the stumps in that fraction.

Some of the best have done this to Umran.

Last week he took the best bowling figures of the season with five kills for 25 runs against Gujarat. The batters were discomfited with short balls that they could barely react to, and the length of the yorkers kept them on their toes.

Image caption, Malik took IPL 2022's best bowling figures with 5 for 25 against the table-topping Gujarat Titans

In the game that followed, the fastest ball in the league so far was delivered by Malik.

If he traveled at that speed, it would take him only 10 hours to travel from Gujjar Nagar, his hometown in Jammu in Indian-administered Kashmir, to Mumbai. Cricketing journeys take a lot longer to reach their destination than cricket balls.

The young bowler's pursuit of his cricketing passion was unfettered despite the fact that his father was a fruit seller. He was a star in local tennis-ball tournaments due to his pace and first played with a leather ball when he was 17.

As he climbed the rungs, the pace that marked him out would aid him. Veteran Jammu and Kashmir bowler Ram Dayal was a mentor to him. A close friend of Abdul Samad, who plays for SRH, recommended that Malik be taken on as a net bowler during last year's Indian premier league.

In the nets, he hurried and harried David Warner and others. T Natarajan was out of the tournament with an injury, and that's when Malik was drafted in.

So far, his career looks dreamy. When asked who his inspiration was, he gushed, "Dale Steyn, one of the greatest fast bowlers ever to play the game."

Ian Bishop, a great fast bowler and now among the best commentators, called him a "real deal" and put a bunch of fire emojis to add heft.

There are pitfalls to the fairy tale.

A fast bowler has to go through a lot of contortions, and that increases the risk of injury. The fast bowler has dealt with stress breaks. Daniel Vettori said that he was reflecting on his conversation with Shane Bond and the fact that he thought the more you bowled, the slower you got.

Bond, the fearsome New Zealand fast bowler, is an example of a bowler whose career was disrupted by injuries. It's understandable that the view that a season or two more of domestic cricket should be given to him is understandable.

When teams have express bowling, it changes the game. India has undergone a pace revolution with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj at the forefront. The thunderbolt burst is something that only one person has right now.

Image caption, Malik began bowling with a leather ball when he was 17

Should he be on the plane with the Indian T20 World Cup squad?

Australian cricketer Chris Lynn thinks so.

If he gets a chance at the international level, Lynn says he will take the world by storm.