Cape Town, April 12 (IANS) Shane Warne is all set to unleash a fiery Indian teenage pacer Kamran Khan in the second edition of the Indian Premier League.
The charismatic Rajasthan Royals skipper calls him 'Wild Thing' or 'Tornado', and says the fast left-arm slinger is capable of hurling the ball at more than 140 kmph.
The 18-year-old from Uttar Pradesh is the latest addition to the repertoire of the Australian spin magician who inspired a team sans star players to win the inaugural IPL.
Warne can't but wait to see his new discovery Kamran mark his run-up in the first match against Bangalore Royal Challengers Saturday. Kamran, who is yet to play first class cricket, passed Warne's litmus test in the friendly match against Cape Cobras as he bowled South African international Justin Ontong with a fast yorker.
'Kamran Khan is a young kid, a left-armer, a slinger. He is going to be very interesting. We're tossing up now what his nickname is going to be -- 'Wild Thing' or 'Tornado', something like that.
'He's a tiny little guy but he bowls 140 plus. He's very raw but he could be a bit of a bolter,' said Warne.
Royals' Director of Coaching Darren Berry saw Kamran in a Mumbai Twenty20 tournament and immediately picked him.
Kamran bowled just one over in the Royals' losing warm-up game against the Cape Cobras Saturday. He bowled a lethal yorker to knock off the stumps of Cobras captain Ontong. The only run he conceded was a wide and Warne knew what to expect of him.
'The most important thing is to let the players know what their role is, what they are expected to do. That's where we had an advantage last year. We gave everyone a role.'
Warne said another player to look out for is Ravindra Jadeja.
'He played last year, did enough, now have a year of experience. There's Yusuf Pathan. He was dynamite last year, just destroys medium pace and spin bowling. He and Andrew Symonds are two of the cleanest hitters I've ever seen,' he said.
Another Indian fast bowler Amit Singh from Gujarat, was also impressive against Cobras, taking three for 18 in four overs.
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