Future of fast bowling in India

[quick4mindia]

Hi all,
I have come back with a topic that i posted about a year and a half back. There were many fast bowlers on the horizon and the then coach was pressing hard for atleast a few genuine fast bowlers. The name we have discussed mainly were Munaf, VRV, Sreesanth, Nehra, Zaheer, Abid Nabi........etc etc.
Now that we have seen most of these players in action (some of them are almost forgotten as well in such a short period of time and almost all of them can hardly be called genuine fast bowler )
I am not very sure how the new coach will approach the issue assuming whatmore is almost certain for the job.
There are many who support the view that there is raw talent scattered all over india but the talent remains unidentified and most of this goes into oblivion before making it big on the national/international scene. The latest business gimmic of cricket leauge (A fancy 20-20 cricket kinda karry packer 2) with all past big names and present wannabes supposed to play in this, can it bring some hope of finding and nurturing raw talent? I guess such matches will be played in no haolds barred fashion and pressure on players would be less than what they feel while in the run for a place in the national side........

 

[Sanz]

Bleak, Dire, Dreadful, Depressing, Terrible - Just take your pick. In fact same can be said about the future of Cricket in India.

 

[Pratters]

This is the original thread of quick4mindia btw.

 

[Turbinator]

As optimistic as I am about Indian cricket and its future... These days I too am starting to worry about the future of fast bowling in India. It is depressing to see no young Indian fast bowler bowling 90 mph or over consistently . I was watching the game yesterday and even though the Indian fast bowlers bowled fairly well, I just couldn't stand watching them bowl. Zaheer's run up is like literally half of Akhtar's ffs.

 

[Manee]

Cool thread.

I have not seen much of VRV Singh at all but apparently he can reach quite high paces, can anyone give me more information on the numbers this guy churns out.

Munaf Patel is an annoying one because he came onto the scene as a 85-90mph bowler with a nice action, quick bouncer and reverse swing. However, he has lost that pace. He no longer runs in so fast, is lazy, takes a while to warm up and is unfit. Another problem is his mental strain that accuracy is more important than pace. Although it is, he did not have poor accuracy when he was quick and swung it more. A telling interview in a match he recieved man of the match bowling 80mph in was that his only known English words/phrases were 'Chappel', 'told', 'line', 'length', 'I do' and 'thank you'.

Zaheer Khan hits 140kph and is around 135kph and that is good enough for me. He is a good bowler, but not a geniune quick. Sreesanth is geniunly quick hitting 90 at times. He has a love for the game and is energetic, I do not think his pace will fade until he is about 30 years old.

I have never heard of Abid Nabi, please elabourate.

EDIT: Done some research, and like VRV Singh, he seems to like his pace and is promising,

Nabi revealed that initially he thought he was being considered for the Test squad but understood that perhaps it was too early for him to graduate to that level. "I have been touching 140 km per hour regularly in the domestic circuit but I know I lack in discipline. I tend to get wayward and I am working hard on it. What is encouraging and a source of constant motivation for me is the fact that the current team management believes in giving chances to youngsters," he said.

 

[Pup Clarke]

It might not be all doom and gloom regarding the pace bowling prospects. Sreesanth and Munaf have the ability to succeed in test match cricket and the likes of RP Singh and VRV Singh will be imo only get better. Zaheer is also a pretty good bowler as well. Ishant Sharma is bowler with alot of potential when I saw him last year against England U-19s and he's only 18.

 

[Manee]

It might not be all doom and gloom regarding the pace bowling prospects. Sreesanth and Munaf have the ability to succeed in test match cricket and the likes of RP Singh and VRV Singh will be imo only get better. Zaheer is also a pretty good bowler as well.

You've hit the nail on the head with that assessment.

 

[viktor]

I dunno....I am more worried about our batting and spin bowling tbh. We have a decent set of fast bowlers. No McGraths or Marshalls (not yet) but at least bowlers who can do a decent job under favorable conditions. So its not too much different from what we have had in the last 7-8 years. Whereas on the batting side, Yuvi has been around for 7-8 years as has Sehwag. They should be ready to takeover from the Big3+1 but they aren't.
So unless the likes of Tiwari and Sharma really get going, I see us having some batting problems in the near to mid-term future.
Same goes for spin bowling..after Kumble, Bhajji has to put his hand up..along with, I hope, my man Bajrangi (Powar).

 

[quick4mindia]

Cool thread.

I have not seen much of VRV Singh at all but apparently he can reach quite high paces, can anyone give me more information on the numbers this guy churns out.

Munaf Patel is an annoying one because he came onto the scene as a 85-90mph bowler with a nice action, quick bouncer and reverse swing. However, he has lost that pace. He no longer runs in so fast, is lazy, takes a while to warm up and is unfit. Another problem is his mental strain that accuracy is more important than pace. Although it is, he did not have poor accuracy when he was quick and swung it more. A telling interview in a match he recieved man of the match bowling 80mph in was that his only known English words/phrases were 'Chappel', 'told', 'line', 'length', 'I do' and 'thank you'.

Zaheer Khan hits 140kph and is around 135kph and that is good enough for me. He is a good bowler, but not a geniune quick. Sreesanth is geniunly quick hitting 90 at times. He has a love for the game and is energetic, I do not think his pace will fade until he is about 30 years old.

I have never heard of Abid Nabi, please elabourate.

EDIT: Done some research, and like VRV Singh, he seems to like his pace and is promising,

VRV was a promising yougster...had a forgettable start of his career against england...he had his share of fitness problem as well. He consistently bowls between 130-138 kph and sometimes touches 140 too. Never gets the bounce one expects from a bowler of his height and built. Nabi is from Kashmir. Chappel was impressed with him..but he has almost vanished from the scene. Ishan sharma has been picked in the squad.so..I think Nehra is finished (he is no longer number 1 bowler of Delhi) Others in the reckoning are ranadeb bose (some claim he regulary bowls 120-130k, he is 6'4)
this is what the fast bowling pipeline india has at the moment it seems

 

[gunner]

i aint gonna believe anything about speeds till i see it
i have heard vrv is quite fast and can bowl upwards of 90
but then we heard the same thing about munaf and what happened there

 

[TT Boy]

Sreesanth is a fantastic talent (bowled exceptionally well in South Africa), although, his fitness and spate of injuries would be of concern. Same goes for Munaf who is terribly conditioned.

 

[Pratters]

VRV apparent fast to medium fast two years later.

 

[Manee]

On cricinfo medium fast is cricinfo code for we don't know how fast this guy bowls. Can someone please tell me how quick he was bowling today?

 

[quick4mindia]

It might not be all doom and gloom regarding the pace bowling prospects. Sreesanth and Munaf have the ability to succeed in test match cricket and the likes of RP Singh and VRV Singh will be imo only get better. Zaheer is also a pretty good bowler as well. Ishant Sharma is bowler with alot of potential when I saw him last year against England U-19s and he's only 18.

in last 2 years or so, munaf has been out of the team quite often due to fitness related problems. he was reasonably accurate When he used to touch 90 mph. now he has cut down his pace by 15-20 k and bowls almost with same accuracy. his recent exit from bangladesh was attributed to back problems.(almost sounds like death knell unless he is as resolute as Bond) Well i noticed him bowling 120-130 k in 1st odi against bangladesh, he looked pretty ordinary that day....i thought he was a bit rusty like many other indian players. Next ODI he was bowling 130-135 k and looked impressive. the next day i heard he has broken his back and would be flown back to india....

 

[Pratters]

This is another thread we have had on Indian bowlers.

 

[TT Boy]

On cricinfo medium fast is cricinfo code for we don't know how fast this guy bowls. Can someone please tell me how quick he was bowling today?

http://www.cricketweb.net/forum/showthread.php?t=23140&page=58

?

 

[Anil]

fast bowling barely had a past in our country outside of kapil, as of now, the present and the future doesn't look very bright either...

 

[Pratters]

fast bowling barely had a past in our country outside of kapil, as of now, the present and the future doesn't look very bright either...

We did have a few in the 1930s but the cupboard has been so bare since then. So weirdly, India's first test might have had it's greatest trio of fast bowlers.

 

[deeps]

The one indian quick that really impressed me in test matches is Sreesanth. In South AFrica he was simply superb. For the first time in many years, we had a genuinely quick bowler who could move the ball both ways and the most pleasing sign, consistently take BIG wickets. He didn't just get the no names, he got the big names, the Lara's etc.

His pace looked genuine (ie. he wasn't bowling as fast as he could to reach the speeds he was, he looked well within himself), he seems to have a good head on his shoulders and seems to be a thinker.

The final factor is his enthusiasm, his flair etc.

Munaf Patel, for all his talents, has 0 flair, the guy looks half asleep for crying out loud.

Zaheer came back with a bang, but he's certainly dropped off again. Agarkar must be disposed, he is holding back the futures of many young aspiring quicks by continually bobbing up, playing 2-3 good matches and then playing crap again. If by now he isn't bowling consistently, he never will. Zaheer I fear may join this boat in the future.

Is Sreesanth still injured? I was surprised to not see him in the first match.

His one day form however is terrible, but I feel that is something that can be worked on, and should be worked on. He is a real talent, and they shouldn't just bookmark him as test only.

RP Singh has good talent, but I think he's too raw. He needs to imo, develop his game preferably in County Cricket for a season or two. It would be a great experience for him


VRV I haven't seen much of, but again, he seems like a sleeping giant type character. Fast Bowlers shouldn't look like they're half asleep.

 

[adharcric]

Sreesanth is the only one who looks to have world-class potential at the moment. Munaf has the talent but I have always had a hard time rating him as a long-term prospect because of his (lack of) fitness and stamina. Zaheer has led the attack well since his return but the past few matches have been disappointing; nevertheless, he looks fit and I am not too worried about him. RP Singh has a good deal of potential and would certainly benefit from a county stint, as indicated by others here. VRV Singh is the dark horse prospect - he can generate good pace and bounce but his ability to maintain fitness and the guidance that he receives is crucial; he appears to be a dedicated bowler but far from a thinking one. Whatmore, if appointed as the next coach, should place an emphasis on the fitness of prospects such as Munaf and VRV.

Zaheer-Sreesanth-Munaf-VRV-RP looks promising for England, IMO.