Prasad fav for bowling coach role

[King Tendulkar]

MUMBAI, Dec 1: On Friday, chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar reiterated his recommendation to the cricket board for a bowling coach for the Indian team 'at the earliest'. "That's a must. I have asked the Board to appoint a bowling coach. Now it's up to the Board to do the needful," he had said categorically. The move is now gathering steam and names of possible candidates have begun to make the rounds. And Karnataka Ranji coach and former India medium-pacer Venkatesh Prasad is now the frontrunner. For now, the board is cautious on how to move on the Vengsarkar request. "We have to believe in the Indian system and not overreact to defeats. And anyway, it is the batsmen not the bowlers who have failed," said Niranjan Shah, board secretary. Shah added that bowling coach 'may be appointed', but added a rider to the candidate's profile. "We have to go through a process, it can't happen overnight. Maybe if he is a high-profile candidate then we may have one." If an appointment is made the Board is worried about the role of assistant coach Ian Frazer who also works on the bowlers. But Vengsarkar, in Kolkata on Friday, saw no problem in this. "As far as I know, he is the assistant coach and not the bowling coach. So there's no problem with that," said Vengsarkar.

[Sooda]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role cant they do better?? Prasad is ok but not good enough to improve the bowlers by much...cant see anything new he will teach them.

[Rajiv]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role WHat will he teach them? leg-cutters

[Gambit]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role Prasad is NOT a good choice. I'd rather have someone like Reid/Srinath.

[Predator_05]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role Srinath was the front-runner, but now that he has become a fully qualified match-referee he will have other commitments to fulfill. If there is one lesson we have learnt from this whole Greg Chappell episode, it's that great cricketers don't necessarily make great coaches. Miandad, Kapil Dev, and Chappell were all good players and great captains but when it came to getting the best out of a group of players they were found wanting. I'd give Prasad a chance. In his playing days he was an intelligent bowler. He has done alright with the u19's and young bowlers like YoMahesh credit him for their recent success. He is worth a shot.

[gullu]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role If I had to choose between Srinath and Prasad, I would go for Prasad. But if there are other options available, BCCI should go thru proper hiring process instead of getting the cheapest possible bowling coach.

[Sooda]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role ^you serious Gullu? you saying that because he has U19 experience Surely Srinath was far superior. Prasad at his peak was good no doubt. decent variety, excellent slower ball, - Wuld have been handy here, has done well in SAf But...not Sris class.

[gullu]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role Srinath was a far superior bowler but I don't see any bowling coach qualities in him. Venky has little bit of experience as coach, WANTS to become bowling coach, and has taken few courses in England. In my opinion, he will be better of two.

[The Outsider]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role Why not someone who has had success advising our bowlers in the past like Reid or Akram?

[yoda]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role Prasad is a good choice. He has also gone through some formal coaching training and can be a good candidate to replace Chappell post our WC fiasco.

[gullu]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role After whole Chappell fiasco, I am pretty sure grahmeen mahila udhyog brigade will shove a desi coach on team India.

[Dhondy]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role I'd offer a million dollar package to Troy Cooley and poach him from the Aussies. BCCI can afford it. BTW, Cooley busts the myth wide open that you have to have been a great bowler to be a good coach.

[Gambit]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role My only gripe with Prasad is that he was a L/L bowler. We don't want bowlers like that in our lineup. We don't want our bowlers to lose their distinct characteristics. Munaf is fast and gets good height. Sreesanth is aggressive, fast and skiddy. Pathan was 130+ and awesome with swing. Zaheer is accurate and can be fast. No need to convert all of them to 120K L/L trundlers. Just hone their skill and analyse minor things like them not using their non bowling arm to their advantage etc.

[gator]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role de villiers will be excellent... u dont get a smarter bowler than tht, who maximised his potential.... and i think, he has some coaching experience too, IIRC

[Inside_edge]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role Prasad will have them cut down their pace further,teach how to bowl the even slower leg cutter and may be as well how to collect saliva using four fingers. Donald/walsh/Reid if available even as consultants is what BCCI should be looking for.

[shailesh]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role ffs we need some aggressive coach, even Srinath will do.

[gator]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role even sri cant hear, wat he mumbles.... Sri was talented and was built perfectly for a fast bowler, but never had the mind to maximise his potential... how do u expect him to maximise our bowlers potential... we need a mind, which can get the best out of our bowlers....

[King Tendulkar]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role Prasad makes his pitch for job After a year of wishful thinking, India's bowlers may finally get what they want: a bowling coach. On Friday, Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, said he had asked the BCCI for a coach and Venkatapathy Raju, the South Zone selector told Cricinfo that a bowling coach could assist in the development of India's crop of promising fast bowlers. And Venkatesh Prasad, a former India fast bowler and one of those in line to take up the job, has said that only a bowling coach can help take those youngsters up to the next level. Vengsarkar's statement, in Kolkata, will attract attention because Team India coach Greg Chappell has so far not expressed his keenness for a bowling coach. Ian Frazer, the biomechanics expert, doubles up with bowling duties - leaving India lagging behind other top teams. Troy Cooley attained legendary status for helping England regain the Ashes last year, after which he's moved back to Australia and repeated his success; Vincent Barnes has fine-tuned South Africa's pace-bowling machine and Waqar Younis and Kevin Shine have been performing the role in Pakistan and England respectively. That seems to have been reflected in India's recent one-day matches. Even in South Africa, the bowlers have had the opposition on the ropes with early strikes, only to let them off the hook at the death. It's not a new problem: In 80 innings since the last World Cup, India have conceded 4358 runs between the 41st and 50th overs. "You cannot mess around with technique at the highest level", Prasad told Cricinfo today, "but yes, if a bowler is going through a prolonged bad patch, has recurring injuries or is unable to bowl at the right areas then definitely a bowling coach can help with the technique, the action and other related areas." Prasad - who has completed the Level III coaching program at the National Cricket Academy and with the ECB in England - had declared his interest in the job last year but, when no coaching stint came about, he went on to become the Karnataka coach. It's time well spent, he says. "The stint [with Karnataka] has definitely helped me improve my coaching skills. If the board offers the position, I will be more than willing to take it up." The ball is now in the BCCI's court. Its secretary, Niranjan Shah, has been quoted in The Times of India as saying that there will be no knee-jerk reaction to the results in South Africa, a process will be followed. Candidates for the job: (in no particular order) Venkatesh Prasad: Currently coaching Karnataka, Prasad had shown an interest in the job last year. Having acquired an advanced coaching certificate from England, he's revealed that he was keen to work with the new generation of Indian pace bowlers. Javagal Srinath: Prasad has probably become a frontrunner by default. His state-mate Javagal Srinath, with whom he forged a successful new-ball pairing in the '90s, would have probably got the job if not for his match-referee duties in the forthcoming Sri Lanka v New Zealand series. Srinath has been critical of the lack of guidance for India's current crop of fast bowlers. The fact that he's overseen the development of bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar makes him the best candidate for the job. Paras Mhambrey: Currently coaching the Bengal state side, Mhambrey has earned a reputation as an excellent bowling coach. His knowledge of biomechanics - especially with relation to Indian bowling - and his track record as a hard-as-nails coach make him an outside candidate. Last year, he took over a Bengal side that had just escaped relegation, galvanised them into a fighting unit and guided them to the runner-up spot. His past experiences under Frank Tyson, the former England fast bowler, and his assistance to John Wright during an India camp in 2003 add to an impressive resume. Bruce Reid: Hampshire's bowling coach for the past three seasons, Reid may be the best option, considering his past successes with India's bowlers. He was roped in during India's epic tour to Australia in 2003-04 and played a vital behind-the-scenes role in the drawn rubber. Whether he's approached again, and whether he'll be willing to forgo his other commitments remains to be seen. Apart from these three, Fanie de Villiers, the former South African fast bowler, has expressed an interest in coaching India's fast bowlers, especially on their ongoing tour in the Southern Cape. Sarfraz Nawaz, the former Pakistani swing merchant who worked with the Delhi fast bowlers recently, has said he was open to the offer.

[Raj]

Re: Prasad fav for bowling coach role If i had the choice between de villiers and Prasad i would go with de villiers, a tough SOB. Nawaz needs to be kept as far a way as possible from our bowlers... terrible candidate...