'Best new-ball pair in the world' needs support - Srinath

[cowboysfan]

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/nzvind2009/content/current/story/391113.html Former India fast bowler Javagal Srinath has said that India need a capable third fast bowler if they are to maintain their recent consistency. Srinath rated Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma as "the best new-ball pair in the world" but said they would not remain effective if India's selectors persisted with a "musical chairs" policy. "The third pacer has to be a walk-in choice in the team. It just can't be like the musical chairs as it is now," Srinath said at Bangalore's National Cricket Academy. "The longevity and form of Zaheer and Ishant will depend on what quality they get from the third seamer. Otherwise it will be case of what happened to [Venkatesh] Prasad and me where you bowl long spells, you get tired, and you lose your sting." Srinath and Prasad formed a successful new-ball pairing for India in the 1990s but India still struggled, mostly overseas, with the two fast bowlers and Anil Kumble shouldering the attack. Zaheer's appearance in 2000 was a boost to a struggling side and for a brief while he shared the new ball with Srinath, the pair doing well in New Zealand and the 2003 World Cup that followed. But in the past few years, pace has played a key role overseas and at home, proving that India are not spin-reliant any more. Since they have paired up, Ishant and Zaheer have become a force in varying conditions The skill with which the duo used the new, and particularly the old ball, played a crucial role in India's regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year. Ishant has achieved what no Indian fast bowler has achieved since Kapil Dev in 1983 - he won a Player-of-the-Series award at home. "They have produced tremendous results in the time they have been together," said Srinath. "There is no doubt they are the best bowling pair now." India's selectors have picked Munaf Patel, L Balaji and rookie Dhawal Kulkarni for the upcoming Tests in New Zealand. Munaf, when fit, has appeared a strong contender to fill the third seamer's role. Srinath termed Munaf "a good prospect", and said he had produced good results at times. "All three [Munaf, L Balaji, and Dhawal Kulkarni] have done well in domestic cricket," he said. "But this is when you show you don't just belong in that space, you belong at the next level as well." Srinath, who played three Tests in New Zealand, urged India's pace attack to bring the batsmen onto the front foot. "When the ball is moving around, you have to make the batsman play on the front foot," said Srinath of conditions that have assisted swing and seam. "Venky [Prasad] will be there to tell them all they need to know, but the rudiments don't change too much wherever you play. You have to make the batsman play, not allow him to leave too much. "This is your time, when the team looks up to you to lead the way. You have to turn that added responsibility into a positive; if you think it is pressure, it will eat you up from within." © Cricinfo ///// if one of zak or ishant get injured then we are in big trouble.the continuous workload is also not helping. i dont trust any one of munaf,sreeshanth,rp to be a dependable 3rd seamer.i really hope kulkarni can be that guy.

[Chandan]

I expect Pathan to do well in the ODIs and hope that they'll retain him for test squad if he really bowls devastatingly. Pathan has been in and out of the side and that hasn't helped his bowling or confidence. I'm sure a bit of continuity can do a world of good to him.

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Ishant Sharma : 'Important to make the batsmen think' When TOI caught up with Ishant on Monday, he spoke about his journey in international cricket so far and the effort he's putting in to hone his skills as a strike bowler. More... 'Important to make the batsmen think' Indranil Basu, 17 Feb 2009, 0109 hrs IST, NEW DELHI: Last time when India toured Australia, Ishant Sharma was the find of the series. A year down the line, the lanky paceman from Delhi is Ishant Sharma one of the key figures of the Indian bowling attack. He has not only bowled his heart out on subcontinent pitches but also picked crucial wickets when the team needed them the most. Now that MS Dhoni and his men are all set to leave for New Zealand on Thursday morning, all eyes are once again on Ishant to make an impact with his fast and furious stuff on bowler-friendly pitches. When TOI caught up with Ishant on Monday, he spoke about his journey in international cricket so far and the effort he's putting in to hone his skills as a strike bowler. Excerpts from the interview: Are you ready to breach the 150 kmph mark again with the ball in New Zealand? I would be more than happy to do that. But my role in the team is to get early wickets rather than concentrate on pace. It's not easy to bowl that fast. Right now it's important to stick to the team's strategy and hit the right areas to make the batsmen think. In Australia when I clocked 150 kmph, it was a full-length ball and I was trying to target the block hole area. The batsman on strike was Adam Gilchrist, it was a free hit and I had to give everything to contain the batsman. But in the future, I am going to get faster as I gain more strength. How many overs can you bowl at a stretch in a Test match? It depends on where I am playing. If I am playing a Test in Asia, I can bowl flat out for around nine to 10 overs at a stretch and then after a break I am again ready for my second spell. But I remember that when I was in Australia, I didn't get tired even after bowling 10 overs at one go. Due to the conditions and freshness of air in Australia, I was fresh for longer spells. Hopefully, I will do the same in New Zealand. Everyone prefers to bowl with the wind. How comfortable are you bowling against it? It again depends on who is bowling the first over. If Zak (Zaheer Khan) is bowling the first over, it's his preference. But during the course of a match, we keep on changing ends, so it's never an issue as long as it's helping the team. Whom do you rate the best in the batting department? There are actually two of them. Sachin Tendulkar and Matthew Hayden. Have you planned anything special for the New Zealand tour? We are going to formally plan everything once the team meets. But I have been talking to some of my seniors in the team and we have discussed the conditions there. In 2007, when I was a part of the Under-19 team, I happened to tour New Zealand and have good memories of that place. I am told Wellington is the venue where there is a lot of breeze and I am prepared for it. Last time, I only played in Christchurch and Dunedin. How comfortable are you with the Kookaburra ball? I have a few Kookaburra balls in my kit bag all the time and I practice with them whenever needed. It's different from the SG balls which we use in India. To make a mark with the ball in New Zealand, it's important to use the new-ball well and hit the right areas all the time. Otherwise, we may have to wait till the 40th or 50th over to get any reverse swing. In comparison, the SG balls start reversing from the 20th over itself. So, I have to hit the right line and length to get early wickets. Does your last performance in Australia still play on your mind? Those nine overs in the Perth Test match changed my life. How can I forget? Do you have a competition with Zaheer when the two of you bowl in tandem? Both of us have our jobs cut out. If Zaheer picks some early wickets from one end, my job is to hit the right areas all the time to create more pressure on the batting side. If I am able to get wickets in the bargain, it's good for me and my team. Do you plan to master any other delivery apart from the straighter one, which does not come into the right-hander? With time, I am going to learn more and more. Remember, I am learning every day in international cricket how to bowl six good deliveries in an over. I am an inswing-bowler and occasionally bowl the straighter one. I am happy sticking to the basics. How difficult is it to bowl in ODIs and Twenty20 games? We are professional cricketers as we are supposed to perform every time we take the field. And there is little room to lose focus on the job in hand. But in Twenty20, it's all about momentum. If you have the momentum with you, you are bound to do well in T20 matches. Whom do you hang around with when you are not on the field during tour? Gautam Gambhir and Munaf Patel are very good friends.

[Fontaine]

Pathan would be my choice as well since he's an allrounder but he needs to get far more consistent in trying to swing the ball and seaming it correctly. RP just doesn't have the kind of fitness that can be relied upon.

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India's Strike force As the recent Test series between the Kiwis and West Indies indicate, the surfaces in New Zealand have largely mellowed down. More... Strike force Venkatesh Prasad feels Indians are ‘a natural’ when it comes to extracting swing on any surface By Deba Prasad Dhar Posted On Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 02:59:44 AM Zaheer Khan will lead the Indian attack in New Zealand Aphoto caption in John Wright’s Indian Summer aptly outlines India’s catalogue of miseries in the 2002-03 tour of New Zealand. The picture shows a gleaming Indian team on a jet-boat ride on the Shotover River. We cannot miss the pun when Wright says: It was the highpoint of the tour. All downstream from there on. The tour was a disaster not only for India but also for Test cricket. New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive Martin Snedden’s experiment to do away with low-scoring dung-heaps had backfired big time. The two Tests, played on Hamilton and Wellington’s impossible wickets, ended in less than three days, and there had been only one instance of a 200-plus total. Such was the extravagant movement that even a Scot Styris or a Sanjay Bangar managed to supply large doses of dread. No anomaly in the result though: New Zealand, who had been equally dismal on those tracks, prevailed 2-0. As Wright says, “An unkind person might say that all it proved is that when Indians come to New Zealand, they should stick to sightseeing.” Cut to 2009 A lot has changed since then. As the recent Test series between the Kiwis and West Indies indicate, the surfaces in New Zealand have largely mellowed down. Meanwhile, India, from being reluctant travellers, have been changing the game’s world order. And the Kiwis, who have been clawing their way out of sludge, are in a rebuilding mode. The top six batsmen have played merely 55 Tests between them. And pace spearheads, Franklin James and Kyle Mills, may not be in the same league as Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey. It points that pace could be India’s best bet to correct their underwhelming record in New Zealand where they haven’t won a Test match since 1976. Certainly the attack, led by an evolved Zaheer Khan, is much sharper than the one in 2002. Bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad believes that it is imperative that his new-ball bowlers adjust to the conditions quickly. But he warns that it would be a folly to brood excessively over the right length or how the wickets would behave. All natural For me there are no fixed variables about length. We should be flexible. It all depends on the conditions and the batsmen you are bowling to,” Prasad says. “But if you insist I would say that we could keep it at around the good-length or slightly further up.” He reminds, “Probably the ball may not reverse the way it does in India, for it depends on the weather and how you maintain the shape. But we must not forget that our bowlers are a natural when it comes to landing it on the seam. They can extract swing on any surface. It is a God-given gift, and also they have worked bloody hard to perfect it.” Venkatesh Prasad No drop in It could help India that there are no Tests at the drop-in venues (grounds that host other sports also) like Auckland and Christchurch in South Island where bowlers usually struggle. Hamilton, Napier and Wellington are the venues for the Tests; Prasad believes that Wellington will pose a challenge of its own. Prasad explains, “In Wellington you run against the breeze and struggle to reach the crease. You end up running harder and it becomes difficult to land it in the right areas. Thus, I would not undermine the importance of spinners. “If Harbhajan Singh can get us a couple of wickets, it will ease the workload on our seamers. Fortunately, we will be going to New Zealand six days before the first game. We will get a fair chance to assess the conditions.” And so, while New Zealand’s myriad attractions and “sightseeing” will be irresistible,the Indians have it in them to ensure that this time the tour’s highpoint could well be on the field.

[bharat297]

^ I wouldnt pick Pathan just because of his batting. On form ... and given that NZL wickets are greenish seamy wickets ... Munaf Patel would be the best choice for the 3rd seamer. imo The side should be ... Gambhir Ashish Nehra (or maybe Sehwag instead ... depending on form) Dravid Tendulkar Laxman Yuvraj Dhoni Harbhajan Munaf Zaheer Ishant

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Seaming tracks may backfire against India, Wright warns NZ More... Seaming tracks may backfire against India, Wright warns NZ PTI Tuesday, February 17, 2009 18:40 IST John Wright is highly impressed with Ishant Sharma and said, "India must be very excited about his potential." Wellington: Former New Zealand batsman John Wright on Tuesday warned Daniel Vettori's men from taking on India in seamer friendly pitches saying the move could backfire in the forthcoming series. The last time India toured New Zealand six years ago they failed to settle down on the fast tracks and lost the Test series 0-2 and the one-dayers 2-5. But Wright, who coached India from 2000 and 2005, said New Zealand would be asking for trouble if they employ the same gameplan for the visitors are well equipped to beat Vettori's team at their own game. "The advantage India have this time is that, whatever conditions are rolled out by the hosts, they have the attack to make the most of them. "They have a lot of firepower to call on and I'd imagine New Zealand will want to do just the opposite this time and ensure the pitches are pretty flat. But India will possibly want to settle a few old scores after what happened in 2002-03," Wright said. The former Kiwi batsman was highly impressed with Ishant Sharma and said he will be lethal when he will bowl under favourable conditions. "India must be very excited about his potential. We've only really seen him bowling in subcontinental or Australian conditions, where it's pretty hard work for the pacemen," Wright said. "You'd expect once he gets to a place like New Zealand or England, where the conditions favour the seamers more, he'll be at least as influential again. You can't overplay his importance right now," Wright said. Wright said what makes India a very dangerous side now was the deadly combination of a lethal attack and very strong batting line-up. "That's probably the biggest difference between the India side of today, and the combinations of previous years: the bowling. "It now has everything - pace, swing, left-arm variation, wrist-spin and finger-spin. When I was there things were just starting to turn but now you really see the difference. "It used to be that the most successful Indian sides were renowned for their batting. These days the batting's still strong but India have made huge gains in terms of the bowling. They've probably got the best attack in world cricket at the moment, when you think about it. "And the good news is that the gain hasn't come at the expense of the batting. Any side with VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir and Mahendra Singh Dhoni is going to run up some totals," he said.

[Show_stopper]

Now here is a guy who knows what hes talking.

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Want to hit rhythm in NZ, wickets will follow: Balaji More... Want to hit rhythm in NZ, wickets will follow: Balaji PTI Tuesday, February 17, 2009 19:48 IST Email Lakshmipathy Balaji believes he has regained the lost touch and is not perturbed by the conditions in New ZealandThe lanky Tamil Nadu pacer believes he has regained the lost touch and is not perturbed either by the conditions in New Zealand or the varying tracks there. Chennai: Back in the Test squad after a four-year hiatus, comeback man Lakshmipathy Balaji reckons it would be just a matter of finding a rhythm in New Zealand and wickets would automatically follow. "I am not unduly worried about the condition of pitches in New Zealand. Of course it is going to be challenging, particularly because of the weather. But as an international cricketer, I am confident of adapting to the conditions. "So long as I keep my rhythm, other things will fall in place," Balaji said. Once he is on song, Balaji said neither the nature of the track nor the atmosphere could affect his rhythm. "The atmosphere around or the conditions of the pitch does not affect me or my rhythm. I just need to be focused to my job, the job of maintaining the line and length and take wickets", he said. Balaji is particularly happy with the way his body has responded after returning from a stress fracture that threatened his career. "Since recovering from stress fracture and a back surgery later, I have bowled over 400 overs in domestic cricket. I have got back to my old ways of bowling," Balaji said. Balaji agreed most of his teammates have no prior experience of playing in New Zealand but felt the seniors would help the youngsters to overcome the problem. "Like every cricketer, I also know that the weather conditions will be windy and harsh in New Zealand. Many players are making their first tour to New Zealand but seniors in the team who had been to New Zealand number of times -- like Sachin (Tendulkar), (Virender) Sehwag and others -- are there to guide us," he said. Balaji said he has been bowling well since last year's Indian Premier League and he just wanted to keep doing the good job. "Now I am hundred per cent fit and bowling well since the IPL tournament last April. I have worked harder than before during the last a year or more and have also increased the workload for optimum levels. "Now my body has responded well to the calls and feeling pretty good. I believe in myself and I will surely give hundred per cent for good results," he said.

[Show_stopper]

I have a few Kookaburra balls in my kit bag all the time and I practice with them whenever needed. It's different from the SG balls which we use in India. To make a mark with the ball in New Zealand, it's important to use the new-ball well and hit the right areas all the time. Otherwise, we may have to wait till the 40th or 50th over to get any reverse swing. In comparison, the SG balls start reversing from the 20th over itself. So, I have to hit the right line and length to get early wickets.

This impresses me beyond words..Ishant is gonna rock the kiwis:yay:

[The Outsider]

"And the good news is that the gain hasn't come at the expense of the batting. Any side with VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir and Mahendra Singh Dhoni is going to run up some totals," he said.

H4ter!

[h4te]

H4ter!

i can't understand why he didn't mention God :mad:

[cowboysfan]

i disagree with wright-the kiwis will be shooting themselves in the foot if they prepare flat wickets for the odis.the kiwis have some hitters of the ball but our batmen will go berserk on those flat pitches and small grounds.

[spectre]

The sight of the India pace duo relentlessly attacking the Kiwis would be an awesome sight to watch Wish that Bond would have been there, would have made a great contest

[nospam]

^ I wouldnt pick Pathan just because of his batting. On form ... and given that NZL wickets are greenish seamy wickets ... Munaf Patel would be the best choice for the 3rd seamer. imo The side should be ... Gambhir Ashish Nehra (or maybe Sehwag instead ... depending on form) Dravid Tendulkar Laxman Yuvraj Dhoni Harbhajan Munaf Zaheer Ishant

wut? you mean aakash chopra?

[Gambit]

^ I wouldnt pick Pathan just because of his batting. On form ... and given that NZL wickets are greenish seamy wickets ... Munaf Patel would be the best choice for the 3rd seamer. imo The side should be ... Gambhir Ashish Nehra (or maybe Sehwag instead ... depending on form) Dravid Tendulkar Laxman Yuvraj Dhoni Harbhajan Munaf Zaheer Ishant

Or MAYBE Sehwag?! It seems our good friend and formerly excellent ICF poster bharat297 has taken leave of his senses. :((

[Mr. Wicket]

bharat: do you want to reel your bait and hook back in now? :haha:

[Guest Hiten.]

Nehra opening the batting :hysterical:

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Make NZ batsmen play every ball, Srinath tells pacers Pitch it up and make the batsmen play every ball on the front foot -- is former India spearhead Javagal Srinath's advice to the likes of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma for the tour of NZ . More... Make NZ batsmen play every ball, Srinath tells pacers Agencies Posted: Feb 17, 2009 at 1849 hrs IST Chennai: Pitch it up and make the batsmen play every ball on the front foot -- is former India spearhead Javagal Srinath's advice to the likes of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma for the tour of New Zealand. According to Srinath, instead of trying to beat the bat, the target before Zaheer and Ishant would be to make the opponents play as much as they can. “The most important thing is that the fundamentals or the rudiments of the art of pace bowling will not change in them. You got to pitch the ball in the right areas with correct length,” Srinath told PTI. “Broadly, they should not allow the ball to go to the wicketkeeper. They should pitch the ball up and make the batsmen play each delivery. The more they make the batsmen play on the front foot, the better results they would reap,” he said. And once they get early breakthrough, there should not be any let up in intensity, Srinath said. “When the conditions are good for pace bowling, the bowler will have to play a huge role and should not allow the batsmen to settle. Sometimes when you get wickets you will be able to demolish the opponents for 150 or 200. That is the kind of wickets you get in New Zealand,” he said. Srinath felt the third seamer -- whether it's Lakshmipathy Balaji, Dhawal Kulkarni or Munaf Patel -- would have an important role to play in the three-match Test series. “I am sure Zaheer and Ishant understand international cricket pretty well. They know the lines and adapt pretty good. “In my opinion it will be a huge responsibility for the third seamer as he has to really stand up and deliver. Balaji, Dhawal or Munaf, whoever is going to be the third seam bowler has to really change gear to be as effective or at least 80 percent of what Zaheer and Ishant do. “In that case, I think these guys (Zaheer and Ishant) will not be over bowled. It is important for these guys to come effectively in short spells before the third bowler takes over,” he said. Asked who would be the best choice for the third seamer's job, Srinath said, “All the three are on the same boat. It is up to the captain and the management to see and pick the best among them. Only thing is that the third fast bowler need to play in all the three games. Chopping and changing the third fast bowler in all the Test matches will not do any good to the main fast bowlers. “It is good to see Balaji making a comeback. Going by performance, Dhawal has earned a place for his Ranji Trophy performance. Both of them have a good chance to cement their place as the third seamer. But for injury, Munaf would have made it as a main bowler and he has been a steady performer too,” Srinath said. He reckoned the Indian pacers have already proved themselves by succeeding in placid tracks and they can now look forward to the pitches in New Zealand which would offer more assistance. “They have bowled well on Indian wickets which are hard and flat and there were not significant assistance for the fast bowlers. This is the time for fast bowlers to be positive as the wickets in New Zealand would be far better than our home pitches and their performance has to improve further,” he said. Asked whether conditions were trickier in New Zealand than those found in England, Srinath said, “Conditions are the same even though New Zealand and England are in southern and northern hemispheres. Conditions in New Zealand are quite wet and cold. Even if it is summer in New Zealand, it is as good as Indian winter. That is the kind of weather one would expect in New Zealand."

[Cricketics]

Srinath is kind of exaggerating here. Our bowling line up is no way best in the world. South Africans have the best bowling line up by far. Zaheer has been our best bowler but that doesn't mean we are best in the world.