As several senior India players prepare for the Duleep Trophy first round from September 5, one goal is clear from the squad selection process by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI): the need for fast bowlers. India’s lead crop, headlined by Jasprit Bumrah and ably supported by Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, may be one of the finest in the world. But with Bumrah frequently rested, Shami yet to regain fitness and Siraj sometimes blowing hot and cold, the BCCI are aiming to develop a crop capable of taking over from the lead act.
The BCCI elected more than 20 pacers across the four squads for the Duleep Trophy. Several of the lot are uncapped at the international level, while some others have barely a few India matches to their name.
“It’s a question of identifying the right ones and giving them opportunities to be ready for the Australian trip. There are lots of bowlers who hit 140-150 kph in the IPL. So it is about nurturing and giving them the right exposure,” said former India bowling coach Bharat Arun, speaking to The Indian Express.
While the likes of Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep have been tried, none of them have reached even 30 international matches across all formats. Even Arshdeep Singh has not been fancied for the longer format. Arun emphasised the importance of the Duleep Trophy.
“Red ball cricket is something these bowlers must get used to. We have time but we need to prepare by giving them enough overs under their belt.
“Bowling in first-class cricket, you bowl on unresponsive pitches. You have to come out with some guile or you would need to learn how to reverse the ball because of the conditions that exist in our country. I think it helped Siraj and Shami a great deal,” Arun added.
Another former India bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey, downplayed the importance of performing in the IPL in order to judge a bowler’s skill. Notably, the likes of Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Yash Dayal and Vijaykumar Vyshak are all in the Duleep Trophy lineups, but arguably thanks to their IPL form. Mhambrey took the example of Umran Malik to reiterate his point.
“Umran is a classic case of who has not played enough red-ball cricket. He came to the reckoning through the IPL. That’s 24 balls in a game. The amount of pressure of bowling 24 balls is not like the red ball. I feel this (T20) is not a format to judge a prospect,” said Mhambrey to The Indian Express.
Full list of fast bowlers and pace-bowling all-rounders selected for Duleep Trophy first round:
Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Vidwath Kaverappa, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar, Umran Malik, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Anshul Kamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Aditya Thakare, Akash Sengupta, Navdeep Saini, Mohit Avasthi, Sandeep Warrier, Gaurav Yadav, Shivam Dube, Nitish Reddy
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