It's time to ask the question: Who after Zaheer to spearhead Indian attack?

[rkt.india]

IndiaÃÔ bowling in the disastrous tour of England, now meandering towards an end, was battered and bruised into submission. Once spearhead Zaheer Khan limped off the field on the first day of the series, the quality and penetration of the Indian attack plummeted. Much of the woes that followed is a reflection on the reliance of one international quality bowler. At nearly 33 and over 10 years and 200+ international matches for India, Zaheer KhanÃÔ body is probably showing the after-affects of the huge workload he had to bear over the years. One often hears the question: Ÿho after the exit of the Big Three (Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman)? Maybe, its time to ask: Ÿho after Zaheer to spearhead the Indian attack? And there are no clear or happy answers to the worrying query. Praveen Kumar is the only Indian bowler who has done well in the England Test series. The best thing about him is that he has bowled to his strengths and not tried anything extraordinary, getting the red ball to move as much as he does with the white. In the three Tests on this tour he has swung the ball and pitched it in the right areas to trouble the batsmen. He has been the only bright spot in the Indian bowling on this tour and has been a one-man army as a wicket- taking force. Shantakumaran Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma are very talented, but lack consistency. When they are good, they rock; when they are bad, they are a nightmare. Sreesanth was fantastic in South Africa early this year while Ishant was brilliant in the Caribbean. But both of them seem to have been replaced by their unpleasant doppelgangers in England! Both of them average over 55 with the ball in the Test series. It shows how much they have struggled. Ishant did really well in the second innings at LordÃÔ and on the first day at Trent Bridge, but has looked clueless since then. Sreesanth was brilliant on the first day at Trent Bridge, but lost his touch once Stuart Broad wielded his willow. Sreesanth and Ishant need to do some serious rethinking. There is no shortage of ability, but they need to find the consistency to do well at the international level. Having talent is one thing, but striking it big needs clarity of thought and focus. All said and done, the Indian selectors shouldnÃÕ dump them, the way they have done with quite a few talented fast bowlers in the past. Instead, the two of them should be worked upon and brought to the level which will help them reach a point of consistency. In the past, quite a few promising Indian fast bowlers have fallen by the wayside due to bad management by selectors. Rudra Pratap Singh is the most relevant example. He had a fantastic time in 2007 and it looked as if he had cemented a place in the eleven. However an injury cut short his good run and when he came back he had two bad Test matches and was immediately put on the bench. Since then he played a few ODIs here and there but was discarded at the first available opportunity. Here was a bowler who could bowl fast and get movement, but the selectors chose to desert him when he needed guidance to get back to his best. RP SinghÃÔ performance in the first innings at The Oval should make the selectors think and change their approach while handling fast bowlers. The gamble of selecting him out of nowhere for this series was a good brave call but it has also reminded the Indian establishment of their mistakes. They have to ensure that they do not repeat the same mistakes with Ishant, Praveen, Sreesanth or any of the talented fast bowlers doing the rounds in Indian cricket. Dropping Ishant or Sreesanth isnÃÕ going to help as there would be a risk of creating more RP Singhs. The Next Generation of Indian Fast Bowlers The likes of Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Abhimanyu Mithun, Pankaj Singh and Umesh Yadav should be handled with great responsibility. Aaron, Mithun and Yadav are genuinely quick and should be encouraged to continue with their ability to send down the fast ones. Some of the current Indian bowlers seem to have lost pace over the years but the Indian think tank has to ensure that this doesnÃÕ happen with the young trio. They should be given enough A tours so that they continue bowling and remain match fit. Unadkat, who has already played a Test for India is an exciting young talent and needs to be given the right direction so that he can serve Indian cricket well in the years to come. The selectors must ensure that he is on their radar and is given enough opportunities to learn and improve before graduating to a permanent place at the highest level. Pankaj Singh, the tall seamer from Rajasthan, was the highest wicket taker in first-class cricket during the last Indian domestic season. It was very difficult to digest the fact that he wasnÃÕ chosen for the Emerging Players Tournament as he picked up 53 wickets in the season. He toured Australia with the senior side in 2007-08 and then was called up for the ODI tri-series in Zimbabwe last year. As has been the case, he hasnÃÕ been given a right direction nor has it been indicated as to where he stands in the selectors plans. He can be a very useful bowler for the longer format but needs that support to reach his highest potential. The England Test series has taught Indian cricket quite a few invaluable lessons. It would be foolish to ignore them but would be truly refreshing if the Indian establishment accept their mistakes and decide to make amends. The young fast bowlers need attention, guidance, support and nurturing. http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/It-s-time-to-ask-the-question-Who-after-Zaheer-to-spearhead-Indian-attack-/4859

[Jayaram_IND]

Lets wait and see.Hope one of our young talents can make it large.

[Guest Gunner]

[Pagalpanti]

Vinay Kumar. Yes you heard it first here

[vayuu1]

IndiaÃÔ bowling in the disastrous tour of England, now meandering towards an end, was battered and bruised into submission. Once spearhead Zaheer Khan limped off the field on the first day of the series, the quality and penetration of the Indian attack plummeted. Much of the woes that followed is a reflection on the reliance of one international quality bowler. At nearly 33 and over 10 years and 200+ international matches for India, Zaheer KhanÃÔ body is probably showing the after-affects of the huge workload he had to bear over the years. One often hears the question: Ÿho after the exit of the Big Three (Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman)? Maybe, its time to ask: Ÿho after Zaheer to spearhead the Indian attack? And there are no clear or happy answers to the worrying query. Praveen Kumar is the only Indian bowler who has done well in the England Test series. The best thing about him is that he has bowled to his strengths and not tried anything extraordinary, getting the red ball to move as much as he does with the white. In the three Tests on this tour he has swung the ball and pitched it in the right areas to trouble the batsmen. He has been the only bright spot in the Indian bowling on this tour and has been a one-man army as a wicket- taking force. Shantakumaran Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma are very talented, but lack consistency. When they are good, they rock; when they are bad, they are a nightmare. Sreesanth was fantastic in South Africa early this year while Ishant was brilliant in the Caribbean. But both of them seem to have been replaced by their unpleasant doppelgangers in England! Both of them average over 55 with the ball in the Test series. It shows how much they have struggled. Ishant did really well in the second innings at LordÃÔ and on the first day at Trent Bridge, but has looked clueless since then. Sreesanth was brilliant on the first day at Trent Bridge, but lost his touch once Stuart Broad wielded his willow. Sreesanth and Ishant need to do some serious rethinking. There is no shortage of ability, but they need to find the consistency to do well at the international level. Having talent is one thing, but striking it big needs clarity of thought and focus. All said and done, the Indian selectors shouldnÃÕ dump them, the way they have done with quite a few talented fast bowlers in the past. Instead, the two of them should be worked upon and brought to the level which will help them reach a point of consistency. In the past, quite a few promising Indian fast bowlers have fallen by the wayside due to bad management by selectors. Rudra Pratap Singh is the most relevant example. He had a fantastic time in 2007 and it looked as if he had cemented a place in the eleven. However an injury cut short his good run and when he came back he had two bad Test matches and was immediately put on the bench. Since then he played a few ODIs here and there but was discarded at the first available opportunity. Here was a bowler who could bowl fast and get movement, but the selectors chose to desert him when he needed guidance to get back to his best. RP SinghÃÔ performance in the first innings at The Oval should make the selectors think and change their approach while handling fast bowlers. The gamble of selecting him out of nowhere for this series was a good brave call but it has also reminded the Indian establishment of their mistakes. They have to ensure that they do not repeat the same mistakes with Ishant, Praveen, Sreesanth or any of the talented fast bowlers doing the rounds in Indian cricket. Dropping Ishant or Sreesanth isnÃÕ going to help as there would be a risk of creating more RP Singhs. The Next Generation of Indian Fast Bowlers The likes of Varun Aaron, Jaydev Unadkat, Abhimanyu Mithun, Pankaj Singh and Umesh Yadav should be handled with great responsibility. Aaron, Mithun and Yadav are genuinely quick and should be encouraged to continue with their ability to send down the fast ones. Some of the current Indian bowlers seem to have lost pace over the years but the Indian think tank has to ensure that this doesnÃÕ happen with the young trio. They should be given enough A tours so that they continue bowling and remain match fit. Unadkat, who has already played a Test for India is an exciting young talent and needs to be given the right direction so that he can serve Indian cricket well in the years to come. The selectors must ensure that he is on their radar and is given enough opportunities to learn and improve before graduating to a permanent place at the highest level. Pankaj Singh, the tall seamer from Rajasthan, was the highest wicket taker in first-class cricket during the last Indian domestic season. It was very difficult to digest the fact that he wasnÃÕ chosen for the Emerging Players Tournament as he picked up 53 wickets in the season. He toured Australia with the senior side in 2007-08 and then was called up for the ODI tri-series in Zimbabwe last year. As has been the case, he hasnÃÕ been given a right direction nor has it been indicated as to where he stands in the selectors plans. He can be a very useful bowler for the longer format but needs that support to reach his highest potential. The England Test series has taught Indian cricket quite a few invaluable lessons. It would be foolish to ignore them but would be truly refreshing if the Indian establishment accept their mistakes and decide to make amends. The young fast bowlers need attention, guidance, support and nurturing. http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/It-s-time-to-ask-the-question-Who-after-Zaheer-to-spearhead-Indian-attack-/4859

mithun is no where near genuine quick add rahul shukla in that list he is also from jharkhand add to that he swings the ball as well and no mug with the bat,and deepak chahar instead of pankaj singh.

[rkt.india]

mithun is no where near genuine quick add rahul shukla in that list he is also from jharkhand add to that he swings the ball as well and no mug with the bat' date='and deepak chahar instead of pankaj singh.[/quote'] have you seen rahul shukla?

[Kumar]

suresh raina looks decent enough to lead the spin sector for a while....

[Jayaram_IND]

suresh raina looks decent enough to lead the spin sector for a while....

He is a defensive bowler so mainly contains.You cant rely on him to get batsman out without them trying to hit.

[Fontaine]

What's the story with Pankaj Singh? Isn't he the really tall, well buillt pacer that bowls like 81mph? I think I saw him a few years ago and he wasn't impressive because he was bowling dead straight. Has he developed any swing, bouncers, does he hit he deck hard and seam the ball?

[Jayaram_IND]

What's the story with Pankaj Singh? Isn't he the really tall, well buillt pacer that bowls like 81mph? I think I saw him a few years ago and he wasn't impressive because he was bowling dead straight. Has he developed any swing, bouncers, does he hit he deck hard and seam the ball?

There were reports of him having a suspect action i think.

[Kumar]

He is a defensive bowler so mainly contains.You cant rely on him to get batsman out without them trying to hit.

I was being sarcastic,despite the fact his bowling has been the best from a spinner we've received this series probably on a more serious note, its hard to conclude so soon who will be the next genuine leader of fast bowling in the squad! I still think Munaef Patel has a promising career ahead, and it amazes me how he's not picked for test macthes!

[Jersey #10]

First, LOL at "after Zaheer". The guy is only injured and will be back. and for the answer to the question -> me!

[rkt.india]

What's the story with Pankaj Singh? Isn't he the really tall, well buillt pacer that bowls like 81mph? I think I saw him a few years ago and he wasn't impressive because he was bowling dead straight. Has he developed any swing, bouncers, does he hit he deck hard and seam the ball?

he mostly bowls around 125-129 which I saw him last duleep trophy match, he is 6 feet 5. but to seam or swing, every bowler needs conditions, most if not every.

[rkt.india]

First, LOL at "after Zaheer". The guy is only injured and will be back. and for the answer to the question -> me!

but he has to go, if not now then 1 year later and then we will say who is next, so better to start finding one and more right now. think about long term.

[Fontaine]

he mostly bowls around 125-129 which I saw him last duleep trophy match' date=' he is 6 feet 5. but to seam or swing, every bowler needs conditions, most if not every.[/quote'] That's a shame. I do remember Pankaj Singh a few years ago. He was built like an awesome fast bowler but his pace really disapointed me. Looks like he hasn't increased his pace at all in a 3/4 years.

[Fontaine]

rkt, What do you think of Aravind? I like that he's tall, strong and is a left armer. He impressed me from what little I saw him play for Bangalore but don't know if he has any consistency/accuracy. His first class record seems to be good.

[bulbul]

rkt, What do you think of Aravind? I like that he's tall, strong and is a left armer. He impressed me from what little I saw him play for Bangalore but don't know if he has any consistency/accuracy. His first class record seems to be good.

He is already 25/26 I guess.. he started 2 years back regularly as a 3rd seamer for Karnataka behind Vinay and Mithun done reasonably well..But played excellently last season..performed Bette than Mithun and Vinay.. also his performance In IPL is good.. selected for Emerging nations tourney withdrawn last moment due to injury..

[rkt.india]

rkt, What do you think of Aravind? I like that he's tall, strong and is a left armer. He impressed me from what little I saw him play for Bangalore but don't know if he has any consistency/accuracy. His first class record seems to be good.

he is fairly tall but does not have much pace, around 125-130. cant judge him based on IPL for test cricket.

[Cricket Tragic]

Mithun is quick? :WTF:

[Clarke]

Spearhead :giggle: Lets just play 3 seamers who deserve their place in the squad. Praveen has been the only one in this series.