New Delhi: This month, India will resume red-ball cricket with the highly anticipated Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru and Anantapur. The Rohit Sharma-led side with Bumrah will kick off their home international season with five Tests on home soil, two against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand. The Duleep Trophy, a significant platform for nurturing India’s fast-bowling talent, will play a crucial role in shaping the future of our pace attack.
The biggest barrier they have in their bid to reach their third consecutive World Test Championship final is retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy during their forthcoming trip to Australia. Naturally, all eyes will be on India’s fast bowlers, who played key roles in Australia’s historic back-to-back series victory.
With the Australia visit less than 100 days away, India’s fast-bowling reserves have been scrutinised. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, no other Indian player has emerged as a consistent fourth or even fifth-fast bowler in recent years.
“According to me, we need at least half a dozen bowlers in Australia to play five Test matches. You already have three. Four is really good for you. It’s not fair on my part to name just a few bowlers, but all I can tell you is there are enough bowlers who have promised quite a bit and who are capable of playing for India in the longer format. But the biggest challenge is to bowl enough number of overs in the Duleep Trophy and in the competitions leading up to the Test matches for them to be match fit and ready,” said Bharat Arun, former India men’s bowling coach, to IANS, stressing the urgency and importance of bowlers being match fit and ready for the upcoming Test matches.
The next Duleep Trophy, which begins on September 5, will test India’s fast-bowling depth in the absence of Bumrah (resting), Shami (ankle injury rehab), and Siraj (sick). Indian cricket officials will keenly monitor events in Bengaluru and Anantapur to uncover exceptional fast bowlers who can help the Test side dominate in foreign conditions.
“Everybody has not played much of cricket in the last two-three months except for some (state-based) T20 tournaments. Then India is going to Australia later this year, and next year, they will go to England. So, if they do well in the Duleep Trophy, they can stake a claim on the Test team. India has a good bunch of fast bowlers if one is looking at T20.”
“But Test match cricket is a different ball game altogether because you have to bowl at least 15-18 overs in a day. For that, your fitness, stamina and aerobic capacity should be good. But we have to wait and see how the Duleep Trophy turns out, as a lot of people will play this time because they are all free, and it is not clashing with any international matches. So, those who want to play Test cricket will definitely come and play,” said TA Sekar, a former India pacer and fast-bowling coach, to IANS.
Since 2023, India has handed Test debuts to Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep. Someone like Avesh Khan gained overseas conditions exposure through the ‘A’ team series, while Arshdeep Singh is also eagerly waiting for an opportunity to play Test cricket. Arun believes India has enough fast-bowling options but stressed on pacers bowling enough red-ball overs before going to Australia.
“There are enough backup options, but how many overs they have under their belt is the biggest challenge because I think over-bowling is as bad as under-bowling. So you need an optimum number of overs under your belt for you to be able to do well in Test cricket.”
“You’re playing five test matches in Australia (later this year). You’re playing under the home conditions. It will be challenging, and each bowler will have to bowl at least 35-40 overs in a Test match.”
“If you need to win the Test, that’s a lot of bowling. So, I think physically and mentally, you need to be strong in order to overcome that challenge. If you look at Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma, they’ve had a tremendous number of overs bowled in domestic cricket before they went on to play Test cricket.”
“That experience would hold you in very good stead when you do play Test cricket. I do understand a young, tear-away fast bowler who’s come in, but then the lack of experience would clearly be shown in Test matches.”
“You rarely come across a bowler who instantly comes in because he’s talented, comes into Test cricket and makes the adjustments. But domestic cricket is a great platform for any bowler to have that experience to do well in Test matches,” elaborated Arun.
Before India tours Australia, the ‘A’ team will have two four-day games in Brisbane and Mackay. The successful ‘A’ team tours, which unearthed someone like Siraj, are instrumental in providing exposure to new talents and preparing them for the rigours of Test cricket. These tours, however, were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which in turn delayed the exposure of new talents.
“The ‘A’ team tours are invaluable in preparing our promising bowlers for overseas tours. They provide exposure to different conditions, mirroring those of the main Test series. So, being part of the ‘A’ team is a great preparation for any bowler aspiring to excel in Test cricket,” adds Arun, underlining the importance of these tours in shaping the future of India’s fast-bowling department.
In all, India’s shortage of back-up seamers in longer format has been quietly worrisome. To effectively handle the upcoming crucial period of Test cricket, it is crucial for pacers, both experienced and inexperienced, to step up and address concerns about the country’s fast-bowling woes by delivering strong performances in the coming months, starting with the Duleep Trophy.
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(Photo: IANS/@BCCI)
