Amidst the busy cricketing calendar, Indian team management has ardently addressed the vexing conundrum of injuries plaguing players. A judicious measure has been adopted, allowing players, especially the fast bowlers and those immersed in all three formats, the luxury of periodic respite between series.
The treasure trove of right-arm pacers at India’s disposal across formats is undeniable, yet a lamentable void remains—devoid of a world-class left-arm pacer. T Natarajan, Arshdeep Singh, and Jaydev Unadkat have all, in recent times, showcased promise, but their scintillating performances have yet to coalesce into a formidable foundation securing their positions.
Intriguingly, Unadkat finds himself amidst India’s ODI squad for the ongoing three-match series against West Indies but India chose to anoint Mukesh Kumar, a right-arm pacer, with a debut opportunity. Meanwhile, Unadkat, who last adorned the ODI stage in 2013, was unceremoniously overlooked.
RP Singh, the former India cricketer, and a star left-arm pacer, voices concern over the detrimental impact of limited exposure to red-ball cricket on bowlers’ progress. For him, the path to bowling excellence defies the constraints of workload management.
“There’s a lot of discussion about it. I don’t really believe in workload management when it comes to bowling. Instead of bowling, you should have workload management for the gym. Bowlers bowl less. The more you bowl, the stronger your muscles will be,” Singh was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“We have come from a structure where bowlers used to bowl an hour-and-a-half straight in the nets. That’s how you improve your bowling. You have to nurture your relationship with the ball. Not playing four-day matches, domestic cricket is a big reason behind the lack of quality pacers and left-arm pacers in particular,” he added.
Siraj came, he continued to toil and made his way into the Indian teams: Singh
Drawing from the paragon of Mohammed Siraj, initially regarded as a Test cricket material alone, he exemplifies the paradigm shift attained through unwavering dedication. The left-arm pacers, thus, must follow the process that’s been followed by Siraj.
“That’s why, left-arm pacers perform in patches, they aren’t consistent. Arshdeep performs well in T20s, you can use him in longer formats. Mohsin… they have gone up and down. Siraj came, he was expensive at times, but he continued to toil and made his way into the Indian teams across all formats. His graph is going up. The left-arm pacers will have to follow his graph,” Singh said.