Lack of fit seamers a cause for concern

Too much time is spent in the gym, says Prasad

Umesh Yadav, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar, Varun Aaron, Vinay Kumar, Lakshmipathi Balaji...

The list seems endless. If fit, some of these would have been the first-choice bowlers to form the Indian pace attack, but all of them are out tending to various injuries that in some cases have prolonged longer than their international stints.

Just have a look at when was the last time these players appeared in a competitive game last year – Yadav (against England in the Ahmedabad Test in mid-November), Irfan (against Karnataka in Ranji Trophy in early November), Munaf (In Champions League in October), Praveen (against Delhi in Ranji in early November) and Aaron (in May in IPL).

Fast bowlers breaking down isn’t a phenomenon restricted only to India. Australia have been experiencing it for some time now while England have missed the services of their key pacemen time to time as have South Africa and the West Indies. But more than half-a-dozen bowlers missing at the same time has to be something unprecedented.

And we haven’t even included in the list the likes of S Sreesanth, who was out for almost a year and RP Singh, who last played in the IPL last May.

Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, who had been involved with the Indian team as its bowling coach a few years ago, admits no team can afford to have so many of their quick bowlers injured at the same time.

“It’s an extraordinary situation,” Prasad told Deccan Herald, talking about the spate of injuries. “If you can’t field your best attack, how are you going to win Test matches?” he wondered. The current Uttar Pradesh coach thought a lot can be done to prevent a situation like this.

“Ensuring proper distribution of workload is important but what’s crucial is the training. I think too much time is spent in the gym. I am not against training in the gym, but too much is bad. I always stress on spending more time on bowling in the nets. The more you bowl, the more you understand your body.

The strengths, the limitations and what’s the right rhythm. The rhythm for a pacer is very important; if you hit it right in the nets, the greater the chances of getting it right in the match. If you are in rhythm, it also reduces injury percentage,” he explained.

Players’ lifestyle, Prasad felt, was equally important. “The players, too, need to understand what is right for them. I don’t know what their lifestyles are, but certain self-imposed discipline, especially for pacers, makes a big difference.”

Prasad also emphasised on giving breaks but agreed it’s extremely hard to leave out a player who is performing well. “It’s a delicate issue, I know. Players don’t want to rest in the middle of a good run despite playing non-stop cricket. I have been rested on a couple of occasions when I was bowling well though I never wanted to sit out.

That’s where the team management has to step in, have a chat with the concerned player and try and convince him. Resting players is a way to test your bench strength as well. It’s like preparing yourself for a contingency which we are facing now” he offered.

With Zaheer Khan ignored after a long slump in form, Ishant Sharma is India’s only experienced bowler in the present squad which has rookies Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shami Ahmed and Ashok Dinda. To be fair, the current crop has acquitted itself admirably well in the short duration, though the rare bowler-friendly conditions have made their international baptism a little easier.

“The new players have got a chance because most those, who have played more ODIs, are injured,” skipper MS Dhoni pointed out, taking solace in the fact that there’s an increased pool of fast bowlers in the country.

“At least, if you see, our pool of bowlers has increased. Not to forget the last few matches that we have played, seamers have got some assistance except for one or two wickets. That was very good because they just eased in. At the start, there has been a bit of movement which has made them comfortable,” he reasoned.

While India can still get away with such crises in the shorter version, as has been the case in the ongoing ODI series against England, there is no escape route in Tests as manifested in their 1-2 home drubbing at the hands of the Englishmen late last year.

Clearly, there appears no proper plan to protect the pacers from getting injured en masse. A rotation policy is no definite insurance against break downs, but those responsible for running the game in the country need to evolve a comprehensive policy to address the issue.