Troubled times for Indian pace attack?

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Zaheer Khan has more Test wickets (242) than the combined tally of Santhakumaran Sreesanth (60), Ishant Sharma (66) and the young Abhimanyu Mithun, yet to figure in a Test. More... Troubled times for Indian pace attack? S. Dinakar Zaheer Khan has more Test wickets (242) than the combined tally of Santhakumaran Sreesanth (60), Ishant Sharma (66) and the young Abhimanyu Mithun, yet to figure in a Test. In the absence of spearhead Zaheer, who has pulled out of the forthcoming Sri Lanka tour with a shoulder injury, the Indian trio of Sreesanth, Ishant and Zaheer's replacement Mithun has a massive job against a Sri Lankan line-up that is often formidable at home. The squad comprises only three pacemen. Sreesanth and Ishant — both have been through demanding times lately — need to display heart and character. And can Mithun, if given an opportunity, rise to the occasion? The pace attack lacks experience. No left-armer Zaheer's withdrawal also leaves the side without a left-armer's testing angle. Zaheer has the ability to prise out batsmen with two-way seam and swing from over-the-wicket; his teasing line and movement puts thd seeds of doubt in the minds of the batsmen. Apparently, the selectors are not willing to look at senior left-armer Aashish Nehra for Test cricket. And Rudra Pratap Singh, a bustling left-armer when his mind and body are in harmony, has suffered a loss in form. The absence of a left-armer could also impact India's spin attack. It is the left-arm paceman who creates the rough for an off-spinner to exploit. And Harbhajan Singh is India's principal spinner. Good opportunity However, Zaheer's absence provides Sreesanth with an opportunity to assume centre-stage; there could be a measure of assistance for the pacemen from the Sri Lankan pitches. The first of the three Tests begins at Galle on July 18. If Sreesanth rediscovers his wrist and seam position, he could hurt the Sri Lankans with his natural out-swing. A confidence bowler, he set up India's victory over Sri Lanka in the second Test at Kanpur last season. Ishant lost bite in his bowling because his bowling elbow was no longer straight in his delivery stride. Consequently, he struggled to hit the seam. If he straightens his elbow and wrist — the two are interlinked — the lanky pacemen could be probing the batsmen again with bounce and corridor bowling. For Mithun, a promising paceman with the right attributes, the journey would be a wonderful learning experience.

[Sir john]

mithun is a good bowler in 5 day cricket,as he can swing the old ball very well,

[Holysmoke]

Sreesanth is leading the attack. What do you think? PS - Bhajji is leading the defense :wall:

[Sachin200*]

Here we go i tell u some indian fans are very negative about our bowling line up for f*** sake india are no. 1 test team & no.3 odi team with average bowling attack we have been consistent in both tests & odis but still y do we have to take a dig at our team by writing negative stuff if u dont wana support india go support pakistan cz they have fast bowlers but they are not consistent as india are in tests & odis.

[hari504504]

Worst case ...our spinners will do the job

[Pak_Fan_4_Eva]

Another series with the Lankans?:banghead: Don`t you guys get bored?

[Clarke]

^ Its not like there's a poal on ICF conducted by BCCI "Which team shall India play next?" Indeed, these might just be troubling times.

[siddhu]

Another series with the Lankans?:banghead: Don`t you guys get bored?

Sometimes we do... but then again that is better than no cricket for years...

[zubinpepsi]

Sometimes we do... but then again that is better than no cricket for years...

ouch.. :cantstop:

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Netting the Indian seamers young Wriddhiman Saha, the reserve wicketkeeper in India’s touring party to Sri Lanka for the coming Test series, and Abhimanyu Mithun, injured Zaheer Khan’s replacement, joined the team on Saturday morning after finishing the India ‘A’ tour of England, reports Amol Karhadkar. More... Netting them young Amol Karhadkar, Hindustan Times Colombo, July 11, 2010 Wriddhiman Saha, the reserve wicketkeeper in India’s touring party to Sri Lanka for the coming Test series, and Abhimanyu Mithun, injured Zaheer Khan’s replacement, joined the team on Saturday morning after finishing the India ‘A’ tour of England. The duo’s arrival wasn’t a surprise, but to see medium-pace bowler, Jaidev Unadkat, walking in with them did raise a few eyebrows among the handful of journalists who are here to cover the series. But doubts about another injury were soon put aside when it was learnt that Unadkat had been asked to join the team as a net bowler during the build-up to the first Test, which starts at Galle on July 18. Unadkat, who has impressed one and all since his impressive outing in the Under-19 World Cup, is one of the two bowlers asked to assist the team. Umesh Yadav, who made his international debut during the tri-series in Zimbabwe in May, will arrive on Sunday. The move has to be applauded since it will serve a dual purpose. Not only will the two youngsters benefit, it will also help Indian batsmen prepare better for the series. The Indian team often suffers from a lack of quality net bowlers during their overseas assignments. This often leads to the mainline bowlers bowling in excess during practice. To solve the conundrum, the team management came up with the idea of asking some youngsters, on the threshold of breaking into the national team, to join the touring party. Besides resolving the batsmen’s problem, it also presents the bowlers an opportunity to learn from the seniors and get the feel of being with the international team. Not only have the BCCI bigwigs, often accused of not paying heed to the players’ concerns, welcomed the idea, they may even extend it for all future Test series. For someone like 18-year-old Unadkat, who followed up the Under-19 World Cup performance with impressive outings in the Indian Premier League and India A’s tour to England, bowling to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in itself will be a huge learning experience. If the Indian batsmen end up making a mockery of Lasith Malinga and Co, then Unadkat and Yadav would have a smile as big as a goal post.

[rkt.india]

good move by BCCI to include these 2 bowlers to give them some experience of bowling to Indian batting lagends

[diegovegaz]

this is fantastic never though the selectors could do such a thing

[IKnowU]

this is fantastic never though the selectors could do such a thing

nah im pretty sure it some other persons idea. The selectors would be more then happy to take credit. :headshake:

[Sir john]

good thing:two_thumbs_up:

[The Dark Horse]

^yes:eyedance:

[Lord]

make sure they dont bowl to Sehwag.he'll destroy them:((

[Karan114]

Net bowlers reinforce India sans Sreesanth, Harbhajan Sidharth Monga July 11, 2010 The BCCI's move to send over Jaidev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav, mainly as net bowlers, to Colombo came good in an undesired way as two frontline bowlers missed India's first net session of the tour. Sreesanth was down with a knee discomfort and Harbhajan Singh with fever. Sreesanth has had an MRI done, and the board is likely to make an official communication on Monday. A first nets session without two main bowlers would have frustrated the visitors after a steady drizzle denied them practise on Saturday. The issues with Sreesanth and Harbhajan are coincidental, but that the board agreed to the team's request for extra bowlers is worth credit. It is believed that the team management had asked the BCCI for a couple of promising young bowlers, who could solve India's problem of lack of quality net bowlers on their away assignments. So Unadkat, playing in the India A tour of England, was asked to accompany Wriddhiman Saha and Abhimanyu Mithun, who are part of the Test squad. Although this is a hastily arranged tour, the BCCI had earlier acted prudently by getting the programme changed to include a three-day tour game, and making sure the team reached the country nine days before the first Test. The Indian team had come in for a lot of criticism for the absence of a warm-up game in their World Twenty20 schedule. They didn't have a warm-up game on their previous Test tour, to New Zealand, either. Both these decisions could be pointing towards a pleasant change in the board's attitude where it listens to the needs of the team management. The choice of the bowlers is interesting. The 18-year-old Unadkat, who was one of India's better performers in the Under-19 World Cup, first caught attention when Wasim Akram, his coach at Kolkata Knight Riders, had nice things to say about him. Yadav has taken the more conventional route to the reckoning, through two solid reasons with Vidarbha. He made his ODI debut during the second-string Indian side's tour of Zimbabwe. Neither of these bowlers have had chances to bowl at Test batsmen: Unadkat is yet to make Ranji debut, and Yadav plays in the Ranji Plate League. "It was the board's decision to send them here so that they get exposure bowling to Test batsmen, and also our batsmen get proper practice," Ranjib Biswal, India's manager on tour, told Cricinfo. http://www.cricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-india-2010/content/story/466924.html They've just arrived in Lanka and Sreesanth seems injured already :wall:

[Sid]

Ye kaise player hain,baithe bhaithe injured ho jate hain:banghead:

[cowboysfan]

no wonder we are desperate to push the youngsters,we have 2 injury prone players as our pace duo and right now both cant stay healthy at all.

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'Opportunity for non-regular bowlers to prove worth' : Dhoni The absence of Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth provides the young pacers in the squad an opportunity to prove their worth in the Test series against Sri Lanka, says India captain M S Dhoni. More... 'Opportunity for non-regular bowlers to prove worth' July 12, 2010 The absence of pace spearhead Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth is a big setback for the team, says India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He, however, reckons it will provide the young pacers in the squad an opportunity to prove their worth in the Test series against Sri Lanka. Zaheer was ruled out of the series due to a shoulder injury while Sreesanth sprained a ligament in his left knee and was on Monday replaced by Munaf Patel in the squad. "It has happened with us in the past. In the past also we have lost our main bowlers just before an important series. We will definitely miss Zaheer and Sreesanth during the series," Dhoni told reporters. He, however, felt that the situation is an ideal opportunity for non-regular bowlers of the team to prove their worth. "It is a great platform for young bowlers to prove their mettle and seal their place in the side," Dhoni said. To make matters worse for India, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is down with a fever and ruled out of the practice match. "Harbhajan is not playing tomorrow. He has got a viral infection but he is expected to be fit for the first Test," Dhoni said. Praising Muttiah Muralitharan, who will quit Test cricket after the first Test against the Indians, Dhoni said his batting colleagues will do their best to make it difficult for the Lankan spinner to attain the 800-wicket mark, which he is eight scalps short of. "Murali is great bowler but we will make it tough for him in the series. He will have to earn his wickets," he said. Dhoni also said that he is not in favour of the Decision Review System (DRS) which will make its debut in next year's World Cup in the sub-continent. "I am not in favour of the review system. I feel it should be used only when it is 99 per cent accurate," the wicket-keeper batsman said of the DRS which will not be a part of the forthcoming series.