Do We Discourage Lethal Bowlers ?

[express bowling]

We have produced very few lethal bowlers in our cricketing history We have never produced a pacer with an average of less than 29 ( who has taken 100 + test wickets ) We are perhaps the only major team which has never had a pacer who can bowl yorkers consistently in the death overs of a limited overs match. We talk so much about line and length but have never had an accurate pacer in the McGrath mould. We are obsessed about swing bowling but have not produced a really lethal swing bowler after Kapil Dev or before him.( during the first 7 yrs of his career ) In fact Kapil became a non lethal bowler after 7 yrs. So our system destroyed him. Anil Kumble has been the most lethal bowler ever to have bowled for India but very few people have been interested in him. He was perhaps less popular than a mediocre ( till now ) criketer like Raina. We have not produced a single slingshot action pacer. Slingshot action makes it diificult for the batsmen to gauge where the ball will land and often difficult to sight the ball. We have generally preferred finger spinners over wrist spinners. ( Although 3 of the greatest spinners Murali, Warne and Kumble have all been wrist spinners ). We have produced only 4 quick bowlers, capable of bowling 145 K + , and 3 of them are currently playing. So, previously, no serious attempt to find and play quick bowlers were made. We have managed to convert many many semi lethal or potential to become lethal bowlers to club level ones after a stint of 1 yr or so in the Indian team. ( RP, Balaji, Pathan, Sreesanth, Munaf, Mithun etc. ) We have converted exciting bowlers to boring ones. ( Prime examples are Munaf, Harbhajan, Mithun ) Muralidharan has taken 800 test wickets with his strange action but we have converted Monish Parmar, a spinners who uncannily resembled Murali actionwise, to a regulation and non lethal offspinner. His action was changed. Parmar was picking up tons of wickets but has almost disappeared since then. If monish was chucking then so was muralidharan. We have produced only 2 or 3 tall and bouncy pacers in our history. Currently off spinners and finger spinners have become more lethal after the doosra was invented. But Harbhajan almost stopped using it, became non lethal, and the rest is history. I heard Indian commentators discouraging Ashwin to use the carrom ball ( his doosra ) too frequently, even though he his succeeding by using it frequently. Our bowling attack is and has been the the most boring and non lethal bowling attack amongst all major teams. Please discuss and add. Why has this happened and still happening ?

[Stuge]

Sorry ,but I can't stop laughing at the title :hysterical: http://www.google.co.in/#hl=en&gs_nf=1&pq=lethal%20bowler%20&cp=14&gs_id=7&xhr=t&q=lethal+bowlers&pf=p&safe=active&sclient=psy-ab&oq=lethal+bowlers&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=4842fad12f6656ff&biw=1024&bih=667 LETHAL title for sure

[express bowling]

We have produced only 2 strike bowlers among spinners in the last 30 years even though we claim that spin bowling is our strength and forte. I don't think we have any good quality spin academy in our country.

[Stuge]

To find the reason for it you will have to see whats happening at the grassroot level .Most of the pitchs in domestic tournament hardly supports fast bowling .On which a benign fast bowler will loose his confidence, when he is carted all around the park before his is developed further . I'm not saying this is the only reason ,but its one of it . Recently ,BCCI has shorlisted many young bowlers from different states so that they can be given guidance . http://www.indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?p=1842638

[rkt.india]

To find the reason for it you will have to see whats happening at the grassroot level .Most of the pitchs in domestic tournament hardly supports fast bowling .On which a benign fast bowler will loose his confidence, when he is carted all around the park before his is developed further . I'm not saying this is the only reason ,but its one of it .

Also the SG ball which is used in FC cricket. It encourages the bowlers who release and swing the ball in the air rather than who hits the deck.

[express bowling]

Also the SG ball which is used in FC cricket. It encourages the bowlers who release and swing the ball in the air rather than who hits the deck.

Then we should have got great swing bowlers but we don't have any.

[express bowling]

To find the reason for it you will have to see whats happening at the grassroot level .Most of the pitchs in domestic tournament hardly supports fast bowling .On which a benign fast bowler will loose his confidence, when he is carted all around the park before his is developed further . I'm not saying this is the only reason ,but its one of it . Recently ,BCCI has shorlisted many young bowlers from different states so that they can be given guidance . http://www.indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?p=1842638

Bad pitches obviously contribute to producing mediocre pacers but , although this point has been identified and repeatedly talked about, pitch committee formed etc. --- no material change has come about. The question is --- why ?

[Vijay.Sharma]

We have not produced a single slingshot action pacer. Slingshot action makes it diificult for the batsmen to gauge where the ball will land and often difficult to sight the ball.

Ever since Lagaan match when Bhoora (?) bowled his slinshot action, the English cried and if you remember the umpires decided that they will allow him to bowl slingshot during that match but after the match they will change the rules. That one incident destroyed India's hope of producing more Bhooras

[vamos_rafa]

For me, Zak would also rank right up there with the best bowlers India has ever produced. Anil Kumble, for me is the best. But, Kapil and Zak would also fall under the lethal bowling category.

[rkt.india]

Then we should have got great swing bowlers but we don't have any.

But we have got swing bowlers and swing bowlers rarely become great at international level. Likes of Ganesh, Venky, Prabhakar, Mohanty, etc.

[saneindian]

OP in your list, none of the bowlers mentioned were lethal bowlers ever in their career. Occasionally yes, but not for consistent periods. As for discouraging bowlers, well Ishant was being played match after match despite not doing much, Sreesanth walks into the side post his injuries, yet they have never been consistent even under good bowling conditions. As for the likes of RP, Pathan, Munaf, well a lot of blame should be on the individual himself for not taking the chances and showing signs of improvements after 2-3 years of int'l cricket.

[express bowling]

But we have got swing bowlers and swing bowlers rarely become great at international level. Likes of Ganesh' date=' Venky, Prabhakar, Mohanty, etc.[/quote'] Swing bowlers can become good bowlers if they can swing the ball at high pace. We seem to encourage our swing bowlers to bowl with as little effort as possible. That is the problem. The excellent article that you have recently posted has talked about this very point while comparing Anderson and Sreessanth's bowling style, action and efforts.

[rkt.india]

Swing bowlers can become good bowlers if they can swing the ball at high pace. We seem to encourage our swing bowlers to bowl with as little effort as possible. That is the problem. The excellent article that you have recently posted has talked about this very point while comparing Anderson and Sreessanth's bowling style' date=' action and efforts.[/quote'] but they were not high pace bowlers. They were sheer medium swing bowlers.

[express bowling]

but they were not high pace bowlers. They were sheer medium swing bowlers.

They were. My point was, if the SG ball, which is used in FC, aides swing bowling then we could have had many good swing bowlers than we have now or had in the past. The SG ball did not stop the swing bowlers from being quick in the air as well.

[express bowling]

OP in your list, none of the bowlers mentioned were lethal bowlers ever in their career. Occasionally yes, but not for consistent periods. As for discouraging bowlers, well Ishant was being played match after match despite not doing much, Sreesanth walks into the side post his injuries, yet they have never been consistent even under good bowling conditions. As for the likes of RP, Pathan, Munaf, well a lot of blame should be on the individual himself for not taking the chances and showing signs of improvements after 2-3 years of int'l cricket.

I said they were semi lethal or potentially lethal. Surely Munaf and Sreesanth had potential when they started off. Munaf was a different bowler then. Bowling yorkers and bouncers at high pace, polishing off the tail. Playing a bowler, who is doing nothing, match after match does not encourage or promote lethal bowling. It sends the message that mediocre bowling is enough. When 2 or 3 bowlers with potential fail then it is their fault mainly. But when a cricket crazy nation cannot produce more than 2 or 3 decent pacers in their history it shows that there is surely something wrong with the system of picking and grooming bowlers. According to you, why do we have or always had such a mediocre bowling attack ?

[rkt.india]

They were. My point was' date=' if the SG ball, which is used in FC, aides swing bowling then we could have had many good swing bowlers than we have now or had in the past. The SG ball did not stop the swing bowlers from being quick in the air as well.[/quote'] But when they are swinging the ball and getting so many wickets by just releasing the ball why would they bowl quick in the first place and put extra effort in bowling. It becomes a habit, look at Sreesanth. He can bowl quick enough but he does not put much behind the ball and just releases that is why he does not get as much purchase as Steyn or Anderson gets from the wicket. Change the ball, it will change their habit of bowling. We have bowlers in domestic who can bowl quick, but most of them are hardly successful in comparison to what release swing bowlers are.

[express bowling]

But when they are swinging the ball and getting so many wickets by just releasing the ball why would they bowl quick in the first place and put extra effort in bowling. It becomes a habit' date=' look at Sreesanth. He can bowl quick enough but he does not put much behind the ball and just releases that is why he does not get as much purchase as Steyn or Anderson gets from the wicket. Change the ball, it will change their habit of bowling. We have bowlers in domestic who can bowl quick, but most of them are hardly successful in comparison to what release swing bowlers are.[/quote'] You have made yourself clear now and that is a good point you have made. So, what ball should be used in FC and is threre any way to communicate this to the people who matter ?

[Cricket Tragic]

A bowler with an avg of 30 and a s/r of 60+ cannot be called lethal.

[rkt.india]

You have made yourself clear now and that is a good point you have made. So' date=' what ball should be used in FC and is threre any way to communicate this to the people who matter ?[/quote'] Kookabura which is used at most places. Changes have already been made regarding balls used but are limited to Duleep trophy where a team barely plays 1 FC match. Another reason is that SG balls are cheaper as made in India while Kookabura made in Australia are costlier.

[Stuge]

Also the SG ball which is used in FC cricket. It encourages the bowlers who release and swing the ball in the air rather than who hits the deck.

Is Kookabura ball used in ODI's ?[when matches are played in india ]

I said they were semi lethal or potentially lethal. Surely Munaf and Sreesanth had potential when they started off. Munaf was a different bowler then. Bowling yorkers and bouncers at high pace, polishing off the tail.

I guess one more reason can be attributed to poor fitness .This is was one of the reason why munaf looked promising initially ,but later he looked like any avg bowler .