Rahul Sharma looks every bit a genuine fast bowler until he saunters in to bowl leg spin. Towering at six feet four inches, it would have been easy for him to want to rush in and hurl down the cherry at a furious pace. But he resisted the temptation, even though he started off as a medium pace bowler with some talent for batting as well. So what made him spin over from a potentially thrilling life on the fast track?

“Actually it all happened just by chance. We didn't have a spinner in our u-16 team, and my coach asked me to bowl leg spin in that particular match, for he thought I rolled my wrist quite well. I ended up as the highest wicket taker in that tournament, and never looked back thereafter,” he said.

Soon, this youngster from Punjab began making his presence felt at the state and zonal level. “I made it to the India u-19 squad in 2006 after finishing as the highest wicket taker in the state and the zone,” he said. However, as he gained few more inches, there was still no dearth of suggestions to switch over to fast bowling. “I had to fight off persistent suggestions from different people to return to fast bowling even after I made it to the India u-19 squad. Most people felt I could do really well as a quick bowler with my height,” recalled Sharma.

Nagar called for throwing

Delhi allowed Services to run them close before notching up an eight-run win in their last league match. Delhi’s young off spinner Yogesh Nagar was called for throwing in his very first over. He was, however, not taken off the attack, and went on to claim three wickets. Other than him, Punjab off-spinner has also been no-balled for wrong action in the North Zone leg.

Meanwhile, Haryana beat J&K by 58 runs.

Brief score: Delhi 153 for 5 beat Services: 145 for 8; Haryana: 163 for 3 beat J&K: 105

MP are Central Zone champions

Hosts Madhya Pradesh defeated Railways by four wickets to emerge Central Zone champions at Indore on Sunday.

Brief scores: Railways 139 for 7 (A Pathan 35) beat MP 141 for 6 (Jalaj Saxena 35).

Maha, Saurashtra win

Maharashtra beat Baroda while Saurashtra beat Gujrat.

Brief scores: Baroda 152 for 7 lost to Maharashtra 154 for 2; Saurashtra 148 all out beat Gujrat 146 for 9.