India’s bowling coach Bharat Arun said he is pleased with the performance of the Indian fast bowlers over a period of time and stressed on the need to improve with every game. Despite the fact that most of the Indian batsmen failed to deliver during India’s tours of South Africa and England, the bowlers stood up more often than not as Team India competed well in both the series.
During India’s preparations for the second Test against Windies in Hyderabad, Arun said, “We’re happy with the way the bowlers have performed over a period of time, not just one Test but over a period of time. We’ll constantly look to improve on what we did earlier.”
Talking about individual bowlers, Arun showered praises on Mohammed Siraj, saying the uncapped fast bowler was a very quick learner. He also addressed that the fact that Umesh Yadav, who has become a constant fixture at home matches, did not get many opportunities overseas due to the abundance of pacers. Umesh played only one of the eight Tests in South Africa and England combined.
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Talking about them, Bharat said, “It’s unfortunate that Umesh didn’t get to play much in South Africa and England. We look at Umesh as someone who is quick, we also have a system where we’re going to rotate the bowlers so that they remain fresh. Umesh will definitely be a part of that and we are extremely confident of what Umesh brings to the table. Siraj is a very very quick learner. With experience, he has learned over the years and his recent performance with India A reflect how quick a learner he is.”
Moving on to the batsmen, Arun said Prithvi Shaw’s Test century on debut in Rajkot was a great sign for the future. He also brushed aside Ajinkya Rahane’s poor form, especially at home, saying the Jinx had everything in him to succeed overseas.
The Indian bowling coach elaborated, “Last match Prithvi Shaw… what he did was fabulous. More than the runs he got, the composure he showed for someone who is playing his first Test, the body language was fantastic. These are things we look at that holds good for the future. Rahane is in pretty good shape. It’s just a matter of going out there and performing, he’s got everything in him to do well at any given point of time.”
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When asked about his perception of KL Rahul, who has a tendency to be bowled or leg before wicket particularly early in his innings, Arun said he wasn’t aware of any technical flaws, but said Rahul was a batsman for the future who must be persisted with.
Bharat explained, “Technical weaknesses, I don’t know. Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Bangar have had very good chats with him. Rahul is a fantastic player, he has got outstanding potential. He’s someone we should persist with. We definitely have a superb batsman for the future for us (in Rahul).”
Talking about the final Test Arun said India haven’t decided on their team combination for the second Test starting on October 12 yet. He added that India won’t take Windies lightly, especially with the likely return of Kemar Roach and Jason Holder.
