Thinning Fast Bowling Resources

By Aakash Chopra
September 23 2011

Aakash Chopra is a rising star of Indian cricket writing, and one who has played the game at the highest level. Here is his take on the recently concluded Indian tour of England

So, a wretched tour to England with a 4-nil whitewash is what we needed to wake up and smell coffee and perhaps realise the absolute deficiency of fast bowlers in the country. Ironically, till a few months ago with Zaheer Khan as the spearhead of the bowling attack, our present looked secure, or so it was believed. In the ideal world, we needed one swing bowler, one hit-the-deck-hard bowler and a couple more options to accompany Zaheer, our redeemer. On the tour to the West Indies, both Praveen and Ishant stood up and convinced everyone that they were the worthy partners of Zaheer in the playing XI. We still had Sreesanth and Munaf waiting in the wings to provide options. All was well with the world.

But the moment Zaheer went down in Lord's, and even though Praveen and Ishant did their best, our lack of quality in the bowling department got brutally exposed. Besides other things, that must say a thing or two about our judgement, our foresight.

Well, next we sent an SOS for replacements in the Test team and the ODI squad. But even the bowlers picked then seemed inadequate for various reasons. In comparison to our opponents, we paled even more. Their pace attack, peppered with that quintessential aggression, dominated our batting-line up like no one had in the recent past. There can be no denying that they not only bowled remarkably better and quicker, but also showed a lot of depth.

At least, this bolt from the blue has now made us sit up and take notice of both the dearth and the importance of fast bowlers. The crucial question though still looms large - where/how do we find effective fast bowlers?

Rare commodities

The ability to bowl 'quick' can't be learned. You're either born a fast bowler or you are not. Yes, you can always add a few miles to your pace but it isn't possible for a medium pacer to become a tear-away fast bowler. Fast bowling is a lot about the fast twitching fibers in the body and if you don't have them, you must resign to your fate and find other ways to be effective. Praveen Kumar is a classic example of someone who's an effective bowler when the ball is new and swinging, but to expect him to become a fast bowler is unrealistic. Hence people who're born with the ability to bowl 'quick' must be protected and guided. The curious case of Munaf Patel comes to mind straightaway. He started as a fast bowler, who could bowl consistently at over 140kmph. But losing his place in the side and a couple of injuries later converted him into a line and length bowler. With that, India lost a potential high-quality pacer, who could have taken the baton from Zaheer.

Instead of blaming Munaf, I'd blame the system. As he battled for survival, he gave up pace to smartly fetch wickets. This he thought was essential to cement his place in the side. Nobody told him that this was only a quick-fix solution, short-sightedness. Nobody told him that he needed to feel secure of his place. That he didn't need to sacrifice his art to pick up a few odd wickets here and there. The culture to nurture is nonexistent in Indian cricket.

The point is simple - there're only a handful of genuinely quick bowlers in India and we can't allow them to fall by the wayside, like Munaf Patel.

Domestic Mess

Would you believe me if I were to tell you that our domestic structure does everything to make a fast bowler turn into a medium pacer? Yes, you've read it correctly. Our structure and its workings are ensuring that these fast bowlers learn the art of bowling at 70 per cent at most times. It's not just the drop in intensity, but the conditions too force them to avoid hitting the deck hard, and instead release and swing to succeed. We play a first-class match (four day) every week, which means only three days between two games. It's humanly impossible for someone to bowl 50 overs of pace bowling every week without breaking down and hence they resort to cutting down on pace drastically. The importance of taking wickets and remaining fit isn't lost on these fast bowlers. With time, they realise that pace would reap little rewards if they didn't last the distance. Also, the SG Test ball, which is used in domestic cricket, coupled with docile tracks, rewards bowlers who swing the ball in the air. Therefore, bowlers like Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Awana, etc., don't take as many wickets as Praveen or Vinay Kumar. Unless the likes of Yadav and Aaron are given the assurance of some sort, it won't be long before they find other ways to catch the selector's eye than bowling fast.

Central Monitoring

In my opinion, it's imperative to identify potential fast bowlers for India and then make a central body to take control of these assets. Whenever these bowlers are not playing competitive cricket, they should report to the NCA and follow training scheduled designed specifically to add more muscle and power. They should be made to play domestic cricket, but the central body must monitor their participation and workload. It's also important that there's proper and transparent communication between the coaches at the state level, central body at the NCA and the national selectors. With the IPL thrown into the mix, it's absolutely mandatory to assume some more responsibility to manage these assets, for you don't want them to be lost to the 45-day extravaganza or become a T20 specialist.

Thinning Fast Bowling Resources

Posted by: Indian Cricket Fever (IP Logged)

Date: 23/09/2011 00:52

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