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Why do Indian pace bowlers regress after one or two years?


Chandan

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Rotten from bottom to top. First at the school level, there needs to be good bowling and fielding coaches.in my time it was terrible.no one really to talk about bowling. too many who want batting.too many who want to teach batting. but too few for bowling. The right profession has to be identified at 13/14.the better sporting countries has people who can guide young apsirants to a sport they can most likely excel at. so the right people have to be put into the right training at earliest possible time. only if good coaches are spread right across from top to bottom , is this guidance possible. strong competition from school level to u16/u19 levels to district tournos to league to state to country is the only way. seeing trundlers at state level suggest a extremely weak competition and also fading away iof better talents. the board is too much focussed on academies which can work only as a finishing school.the quality of trainees coming into them has to be good and that is possible if only work is done underneath. The board seemed to rely on the idea that mrf will give us super pacemen as a assembly line and that has proved faulty because of the ignorance of our administrators. The trick is to spread the net wide and far as possible to give quality training to the right people and a systemn of selecting the most promising ones. only then focus on academies make sense. even at top levels, we have bowlers who are fading out on initial promise.

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I am not convinced that there is a fair reason described yet. We think our infrastructure etc does not facilitate fast bowlers BUT just look across the border to Pakistan. PCB is probably the only board in the world which could be worse managed than BCCI. To top that they have no money and their infrastructure is definitely worse than ours. Despite that they continue to produce quality fast bowlers one after the other who continue to bowl at 140+ speeds. I can guarantee you that Pakistanis dont get any better coaching at their younger days. Its not a veg/non veg thing either since none of Pathan, ZK, Munaf etc are vegetarians. Even RP Singh is not a vegetarian. Quality of diet in India has got to be better than what these poor kids in Pakistan get to eat. So what exactly is different? The funny part is that most of these pakistanis grow up playing with a taped tennis ball and not the hard ball. They still manage to keep producing players who will bowl at 140+ and sustain that. I watched parts of the Pak vs NZ game and Gul was consistently bowling at 140+. In the recent past they have had Amir/Asif both bowling at 140+. Shoib Akhtar at his peak was obviously faster (even discounting his chucking issue that got him beyond 160). So You gotta think that there is something else that needs to be addressed. Wish we had some answers :)

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Nah. You didn't understand the question. We have enough pace bowlers emerging this decade but they have all regressed after giving 2 or maximum 3 years of good performance.... some even less! I'm trying to find out the reason for that! Yes. Very valid reason. BCCI went all out to get MRF pace Academy closed but they just could not replace it with a like academy, forget a better one, fully dedicated to pace bowling . Many people give this reason. But didn't Zaheer, Nehra, Pathan, Balaji, Munaf, RP Singh etc fade away with IPL not being anywhere on the scene? Hope Kumble, the NCA director, Venky Prasad who holds an important post at KSCA and knows the condition of pace bowling in India do something towards the revival of pace academy which can take place of pace bowlers from our country from a budding age. Thats what I felt. Having different bowlers for different formats is also a good step as it gives the bowlers enough rest and periods to recharge. There is no point in dragging Zaheer to ODIs just because it is WC. I think Nehra, PK and Munaf are doing a fine job. This has been the typical garbage handed out by Srikkant and co. It is just because of their this adhocisms we can't say who our 4th and 5th seamers and who are the batsmen who we can use at #3 if Dravid is injured or at#4 if Sachin is not playing or #5 if Laxman is absent or who is our second keeper and no on. There is absolutely no clarity in their their thinking and hence no planning and vision in their selection. Don't think BCCI even has the idea about these things. They should give these responsibilities to people who understand these matters like the head coach of NCA. Who is the HC of NCA right now?
well i do understand the question ,but i was talking about other major issue,the reason in drop in speed , a) our bowlers are injury prone, b) they think of stretching there career, c) lack of a proper pace academy like mrf, d) they are told to stick to line and length.
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I just wanted to know if it is a coincidence, a natural phenomenon or are there some factors or circumstances responsible for it. I didn't get any clear answer here.
this may be the answer. people at the top do not know anything apart from swing bowling. Because of our poor tradition of fast bowlers we have one of the weakest pace bowling expertise there is. Pakistani bowlers for example easily generate handy pace, quality line and length,very strong in the slog overs.for example, asif and aamir come from remote regions with poor families. certainly a knowledgeable system at work. and at the lower levels, much more work has to be done to ensure better supply of talent.spread the net far and wide into the villages has to be the key in the first stage.
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This for ever remains a mystery to me that why can't India produce one single genuine fast bowler. So much craze of cricket and no quickie is honestly shocking. And why do Indian always compare with Pakistani players diet, idols and tape ball? It's not like only Pakistan produces fast bowlers, but small countries with barely any population like West Indies and NZ keep producing or have produced genuine fast quickies too.

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I just wanted to know if it is a coincidence, a natural phenomenon or are there some factors or circumstances responsible for it. I didn't get any clear answer here.
Didn't you read my 6 points above..those are the main reasons Indian bowlers goes down in international cricket when they first come and shine..
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Thinning fast-bowling resources http://cricketnext.in.com/blogs/aakashchopra/2974/62728/thinning-fastbowling-resources.html So, a wretched tour to England with a 4-nil whitewash is what we needed to wake up and smell coffee and perhaps realise the absolute deficiency of fast bowlers in the country. Ironically, till a few months ago with Zaheer Khan as the spearhead of the bowling attack, our present looked secure, or so it was believed. In the ideal world, we needed one swing bowler, one hit-the-deck-hard bowler and a couple more options to accompany Zaheer, our redeemer. On the tour to the West Indies, both Praveen and Ishant stood up and convinced everyone that they were the worthy partners of Zaheer in the playing XI. We still had Sreesanth and Munaf waiting in the wings to provide options. All was well with the world. But the moment Zaheer went down in Lord's, and even though Praveen and Ishant did their best, our lack of quality in the bowling department got brutally exposed. Besides other things, that must say a thing or two about our judgement, our foresight. Well, next we sent an SOS for replacements in the Test team and the ODI squad. But even the bowlers picked then seemed inadequate for various reasons. In comparison to our opponents, we paled even more. Their pace attack, peppered with that quintessential aggression, dominated our batting-line up like no one had in the recent past. There can be no denying that they not only bowled remarkably better and quicker, but also showed a lot of depth. At least, this bolt from the blue has now made us sit up and take notice of both the dearth and the importance of fast bowlers. The crucial question though still looms large - where/how do we find effective fast bowlers? Rare commodities The ability to bowl 'quick' can't be learned. You're either born a fast bowler or you are not. Yes, you can always add a few miles to your pace but it isn't possible for a medium pacer to become a tear-away fast bowler. Fast bowling is a lot about the fast twitching fibers in the body and if you don't have them, you must resign to your fate and find other ways to be effective. Praveen Kumar is a classic example of someone who's an effective bowler when the ball is new and swinging, but to expect him to become a fast bowler is unrealistic. Hence people who're born with the ability to bowl 'quick' must be protected and guided. The curious case of Munaf Patel comes to mind straightaway. He started as a fast bowler, who could bowl consistently at over 140kmph. But losing his place in the side and a couple of injuries later converted him into a line and length bowler. With that, India lost a potential high-quality pacer, who could have taken the baton from Zaheer. Instead of blaming Munaf, I'd blame the system. As he battled for survival, he gave up pace to smartly fetch wickets. This he thought was essential to cement his place in the side. Nobody told him that this was only a quick-fix solution, short-sightedness. Nobody told him that he needed to feel secure of his place. That he didn't need to sacrifice his art to pick up a few odd wickets here and there. The culture to nurture is nonexistent in Indian cricket. The point is simple - there're only a handful of genuinely quick bowlers in India and we can't allow them to fall by the wayside, like Munaf Patel. Domestic Mess Would you believe me if I were to tell you that our domestic structure does everything to make a fast bowler turn into a medium pacer? Yes, you've read it correctly. Our structure and its workings are ensuring that these fast bowlers learn the art of bowling at 70 per cent at most times. It's not just the drop in intensity, but the conditions too force them to avoid hitting the deck hard, and instead release and swing to succeed. We play a first-class match (four day) every week, which means only three days between two games. It's humanly impossible for someone to bowl 50 overs of pace bowling every week without breaking down and hence they resort to cutting down on pace drastically. The importance of taking wickets and remaining fit isn't lost on these fast bowlers. With time, they realise that pace would reap little rewards if they didn't last the distance. Also, the SG Test ball, which is used in domestic cricket, coupled with docile tracks, rewards bowlers who swing the ball in the air. Therefore, bowlers like Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Awana, etc., don't take as many wickets as Praveen or Vinay Kumar. Unless the likes of Yadav and Aaron are given the assurance of some sort, it won't be long before they find other ways to catch the selector's eye than bowling fast. Central Monitoring In my opinion, it's imperative to identify potential fast bowlers for India and then make a central body to take control of these assets. Whenever these bowlers are not playing competitive cricket, they should report to the NCA and follow training scheduled designed specifically to add more muscle and power. They should be made to play domestic cricket, but the central body must monitor their participation and workload. It's also important that there's proper and transparent communication between the coaches at the state level, central body at the NCA and the national selectors. With the IPL thrown into the mix, it's absolutely mandatory to assume some more responsibility to manage these assets, for you don't want them to be lost to the 45-day extravaganza or become a T20 specialist.

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I always enjoy reading Akash Chopra's coulmns, he does make some good points.The main problem with the currrent environment and scheduling is that the real fast bowlers with pace, dont last the whole season , and the medium pacers look better numbers wise, which is no indicator of the bowlers calibre or potential successs at international level.The flip side of it , more and more pacers are now top wicket takers at domestic level , some venues are having a bit more greener tracks conducive to fast bowling, also more pacers coming thru the ranks suprisingly then spinners.On paper V Kumar, Narwal, Aravind look the best bowlers but that is far from the truth.Selecting the right bowlers with pace, promise though raw then putting someone like V kumar or Unadkat , Mithun with his current pace , seems illogical to me. Quite simply like in batting one looks for technique[sehwag an abberration] ability to play long innings, front foot , backfoot play , time to play the ball , balance in test , for bowlers most important factor is pace,unlees you are very tall bowling at 135 k or lefhander with swing and seam , pace and stamina should be the basic factors for test bowling , with time skills, swing, seam will come but pace cannot be taught, unlike you are master of your craft IPL will make a fast bowler look average, Pankaj Singh , Varun , Vrv Singh, Sudeep tyagi, cannot be worse the RP OR VINAY kUMAR OR VERY INCONSISTENT SREESANTH, even Gony might be better then them.

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eople who're born with the ability to bowl 'quick' must be protected and guided. The curious case of Munaf Patel comes to mind straightaway. He started as a fast bowler, who could bowl consistently at over 140kmph. But losing his place in the side and a couple of injuries later converted him into a line and length bowler. With that, India lost a potential high-quality pacer, who could have taken the baton from Zaheer. Instead of blaming Munaf, I'd blame the system. As he battled for survival, he gave up pace to smartly fetch wickets. This he thought was essential to cement his place in the side. Nobody told him that this was only a quick-fix solution, short-sightedness. Nobody told him that he needed to feel secure of his place. That he didn't need to sacrifice his art to pick up a few odd wickets here and there. The culture to nurture is nonexistent in Indian cricket. The point is simple - there're only a handful of genuinely quick bowlers in India and we can't allow them to fall by the wayside, like Munaf Patel.
We had a discussion here on ICF as to why most of our fast bowlers/seamers start brightly, give us lots of hope but instead of progressing they regress. The examples are many starting from Irfan to Balaji, to Sree to Munaf to RP Singh to Ishant! There could be few more as well. Akash gives very valid reasons. And till the establishment sits up, takes notice and forms a separate department for developing as well as protecting our fast bowlers or pacers+spinners, nothing will happen. With a rubbish attack and FTB batsmen Indian team will soon turn into another Bangladesh side with BCCI going into denial like PCB as they've gone now after the whipping received in England.
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