Under-19 Indian pacers struggling to graduate to senior stage

Since 2008, India has gained 4 U-19 World Cup titles out of eight. In these tournaments, aside from few excellent abilities with the ball, it’s the quick bowlers who have gotten not simply India, however even somebody like Ian Bishop genuinely excited. But thus far, out of the 34 pacers who’ve featured in these eight U-19 World Cups, solely eight have graduated to the worldwide stage, with Jaydev Unadkat being the lone one to function in Test cricket. Having made his debut in 2010, he needed to wait one other 12 years for his subsequent Test. Unlike the pacers, increasingly batsmen have made smoothless transition with the likes of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill all that includes in Test cricket and tasting success. In a fortnight, you may also add Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was a part of the 2020 U-19 crew, to the checklist as he appears set to debut within the Test towards West Indies.

Apart from that includes usually within the home circuit, these seamers have additionally generated curiosity amongst IPL franchises. In each IPL public sale, on the premise of their efficiency within the U-19 World Cup that kind of occurs simply earlier than the participant auctions, or by way of the course of it, they’ve managed to get profitable offers. But on discipline, they haven’t been in a position to generate as a lot success as they’d have hoped. It has taken them just a few years below their belt in home circuit earlier than even having a notable success within the IPL, however even there the examples are only a few. Siddarth Kaul had performed properly for Sunrisers Hyderabad once they gained the title. Sandeep Sharma, with a deadly inswinger in armour, has good numbers within the IPL and final season got here up matured as a demise bowler. Harshal Patel, with totally different variations of slower balls in his kitty, is one Royal Challengers Bangalore financial institution on usually and it even landed him a spot within the T20 World Cup. Among them, Unadkat, a veteran of 101 first-class matches, has through the years gone for giant cash on the IPL auctions, however within the 13 seasons that he has featured, has performed greater than 10 matches in a single version solely on 4 events. On the opposite hand, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, who haven’t for a long term within the senior India crew, usually are not simply regulars, but additionally constant on the IPL.

The query is, after exhibiting a lot promise within the junior stage, why do the younger Indian pacers fizzle out and usually are not in a position to make that transition.

Why do they continue to be an enigma?

Former crew India bowling coach Bharat Arun feels there are one too many causes attributed to this. “When you are in U-19 you are looked upon as a potential prospect. At that time you are fresh, you haven’t played much. Your bodies won’t take the load because you haven’t bowled that much. Fast-bowling is a very strenuous activity and it places a huge risk of injuries on every bowler. One thing that is the need of the hour is every state should have a vibrant programme where the coaches have a good understanding of strength and conditioning. They work with the pacers, getting their bodies strong and also, you need coaches with a better understanding of fast bowling. You got to understand that each style is different to the basics of the games. It is about blending one style as close to the basic without changing the action. You can’t change anyone’s actions. Every action is unique as somebody’s handwriting,” he informed The Indian Express.

The hole between Jaydev Unadkat’s first and second Test are of 12 years. (Twitter/Jaydev Unadkat)

“To develop a fast bowler is a time-consuming process, it needs a lot of work. There has to be a right balance between physical conditioning and skill work. You overdo one of these and it could land you in a problem. Good understanding of workload management is also crucial for developing fast bowlers,” he added.

Former nationwide selector MSK Prasad lambasts the state items for the poor remedy of the U-19 pacers. “If you recognise a good fast bowler, you must take care of him. We don’t really know how to take care of them. We make them bowl 25-30 overs on placid tracks. By the time Ranji Trophy season ends, if they have played all eight matches, they will end up bowling 400 overs. They are not robots. There is a reason why many of the fast bowlers, who show a lot of promise in the junior level, lose all the gas. They don’t graduate to the next level because at the grassroots level they are mistreated,” mentioned Prasad.

Meanwhile, Saba Karim, one other former selector, feels their lack of ability to again their U-19 performances within the Ranji Trophy is without doubt one of the most important the explanation why gifted younger pacers are by no means in a position to make that transition.

“After the U-19 performance, you need to back it up with a very good domestic performance. In the past several years, all those young pace bowlers, who play in the U-19 World Cup, whenever they have been given an opportunity for their respective states, very few of them have done well. Unless you do well in the Ranji Trophy, your progress towards the national side kind of diminishes,” mentioned Karim.

Harshal Patel has performed 25 T20Is for India

“As a selector and as a scout, when you spot somebody at the U-19 level you want to see the progress in that young pace bowler. One needs to show patience but for how long. You look at the progress for one year, two years and maximum of three years and when the performance is not coming up, then the faith in that bowler also goes away,” he added.

The health technique

Former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed feels the 16-23 age may be very important for the pacers and through that age, the coaches and the board should take further care of them as there’s a 90 p.c probability of breakdowns.

“It’s a growing age. You get a couple of inches taller, the bones also develop. The two things critical for the young pacers are how they manage their workload and their training pattern,” mentioned Javed.

Javed says the present coaching technique the place the cricketers do lifting makes them extra susceptible to accidents. “In our time it was all about running. There was no concept of weights. And when the weights came into the training, it was more of a bodybuilding. Trainers started focusing more on the muscles. They want the bowlers to be muscular. They worked on a specific alignment. But bowling in altogether is an unnatural act. No sport in the world will have this kind of rotation. Maybe in the mixed martial arts and wrestling, where you need force but they don’t generate that momentum what a pacer does in their run up and the way they rotate their body to deliver the bowl,” he defined.

Siddharth Kaul (left) and Pradeep Sangwan are from the 2008 U-19 profitable crew. Kaul has managed to play three ODIs and three T20Is for India, whereas Sangwan by no means made the reduce.

“Bodybuilding exercises are not good for fast bowlers. The weightlifters training is more suitable for a pacer. The weightlifters lift the weight from some extremely bad angles, but they hardly get injured,” he added.

Arun echoes Javed’s ideas that 16-23 is a important age of quick bowlers attributable to their physiological and psychological improvement.

“I feel the Indian male are at their peak with their fitness between 23 and 25. And for a pacer there should be a balance training method. Fast bowling is not only about running well. There’s speed training, speed endurance, strength work. It’s not just one skill alone, like only running will make me better. You have to run, you have to learn to run fast. You need good recovery as well,” he mentioned.

“If they continue to tick all the boxes, they would at least last for five or seven years. Also you cannot control what they do in the match, you expect a fast bowler to bowl 30 overs in a game for the team to win. But what you can really control is, after the game, how much training he needs to do, give him a break from bowling in the nets, if he has bowled so much in the match. You won’t see many injuries if they are judiciously managed,” he mentioned.

Arun additionally provides the examples of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj and explains why they excel on the high stage and why it’s a excessive time that each state affiliation should have their very own program they usually shouldn’t be depended upon the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

Kamlesh Nagarkoti, the member of 2018 U-19 World Cup profitable crew has spent extra time on the National Cricket Academy than on the sector attributable to accidents.

“Shami, Ishant, Umesh, Bumrah – they all had their fair share of injuries but have lasted quite long because they gave importance to all these fitness parameters. I don’t know whether the next crop of the Indian pacers are following all those parameters. Only the cream would go to NCA, what about the others? I feel every state needs to have a vibrant programme where the talented fast bowler can be worked upon,” he mentioned.

Javed additionally has one piece of recommendation to the younger pacers that if they don’t seem to be batters, they’ll’t afford to change off in the course of the low season.

“Not every fast bowler went on to play for fifteen years. Nowadays, I have seen this trend, that you play an entire season and would take a six-week break. That’s the biggest mistake. Your body is toned up for six months. You can’t afford to go on a break. If you are not bowling for two weeks, you have wasted all your bowling training. 90 percent of bowlers get injured when they come back from a break. Not bowling at all in the break is not healthy. In the off-season also, you need to bowl six overs on your alternate days. You just cannot go dry. Total rest from bowling is a disaster move, you are not a batter,” he mentioned.

Khaleel Ahmed performed 11 ODIs and 14 T20Is for India however then he pale away. The left-arm fast has not performed a single Ranji Trophy sport for his state crew within the final two years.

IPL and the reluctance to play four-day cricket

India seamer Deepak Chahar on the present Breakfast with Champions hosted by Gaurav Kapoor cited how IPL has offered monetary safety and mentioned it’s the cause why the batters like Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan go on and hit the primary ball for six of their debut video games. Chahar referred to as it a “freedom” and lavished reward on the IPL for eradicating the “fear factor” from an Indian cricketer.

In hindsight, former India seamer Karsan Ghavri, who just a few years in the past led BCCI’s tempo bowling academy on the Mohali cricket stadium, blames it on the IPL to kill the burning want among the many cricketers to play for India.

“Some players are just happy playing in the IPL. They are getting good money and they don’t have the fire in the belly anymore to play for India. They don’t want to bowl 15-20 overs in a day. I will not take the name; there was a pacer he almost played for India. One day in Mohali, ‘I asked him you are a good bowler; you have got a good physique if you could push yourself a bit. I can’t see why you can’t play Test cricket for India. He replied: ‘Sir, I don’t want to play Test cricket. I am happy bowling my four overs in the IPL. I get my money, and I am content,” recalled Ghavri.

It is a actuality that increasingly state associations are witnessing today the place quick bowlers hesitate to function within the Ranji Trophy matches in direction of the top of the season as any potential damage may rule them out of the IPL.

“Young pacers don’t want to play first-class cricket is a shocker. During my tenure as a selector, no pacer came with this proposal that they don’t want to play red ball but you can get the idea that who is keen to play and who is not. It’s a dangerous trend. I can understand if someone after playing for 10 years wants to quit one format, but for youngsters, who are 19,20,21, if they are being picky, then it’s a sad affair,” mentioned Prasad.

“If these kids are happy with the money they are earning, what would happen if the franchise lets them go after one bad season. It would be all over for them,” he added.

Javed says the children who solely need to play the white-ball cricket is not going to final lengthy. He mentioned: “If you do not play four-day cricket, you will never be able to test your fitness. The moment you decide that you only want to play white-ball, you are finished. You will not be the same bowler.”

Arun feels white-ball cricket is a simple means out. “It is extremely important for them to play red-ball cricket. It is where you develop your skill sets. White-ball is an easy way out. I think for any young pacer, you need to bowl those 25 overs in a day, and if they would do so with proper training and recovery, I can’t think why the individual won’t be able to play all forms of the game.”

Karim, nevertheless, disagrees and says it’s as much as a person and due to the demanding home schedule, there can be extra sooner or later. “It is as much as the person additionally. For instance, all of us suppose that Umran Malik can do properly in all of the codecs however one yr down the road, if he involves the selectors and tells them that he doesn’t need to play Test cricket. Can you cease him from doing that? You can’t. It is a private alternative.

“I have also heard that there are many bowlers, who don’t want to play first-class cricket, they think it is a very demanding schedule, which is also correct. To play Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali, Vijay Hazare and then the IPL, you need an extraordinary fitness level. For a pace bowler, it is not easy,” he mentioned.