This country of billions is the beloved home to people from different walks of life, yet it has seen a dearth of fast bowlers. Why is that happening, in spite of India being the so-called powerhouse of cricket?
Look at Pakistan for example; the terror-stricken country could be called as the breeding ground of the art of genuine fast bowling. From the legendary Imran Khan to the young sensation that is Junaid Khan, they have never failed to unearth raw talent regularly. They have variety in their line-up and pace has never been the issue for this side. They have bowlers who are on par with the potent South African and Australian attack; even better than those, in fact, if you count the bowling unit as a whole, including the spinners.
And while that has been a routine for them, India have not managed to discover any extraordinary talent, despite the power and money at their disposal. Of course, there are quite a few reasons to support this predicament (it’s no wonder, since we have grown up giving reasons for our shortcomings).
Education: We are a country of tradition, religion and values that have formed the crux of our living. We are taught to abide by the rules right from a young age and education has been the major part of our first twenty five years. Not many Indian parents let their children pursue their dreams in sport. One cannot blame them, of course, for the lack of education would ruin their child’s career and they prefer to take the safest route by arming their child with a degree.
A child who follows the norms of school has to attend special coaching classes after normal school hours to study more to achieve the necessary grades. Therefore the major part of his day is spent in poring through some boring textbooks, precious time that could have been used to hone his extra talent. His talent is suppressed right from his childhood and by the time he realizes that he has got any, life has taken a different turn and he would be telling his children about his talents even as he tries to suppress their own!
Money constraints: Ours is a country of both the rich and the poor and playing cricket does require a bit of investment. A fast bowler in particular needs a good pair of shoes, and without that, he could be prone to any kind of bizarre injury that might befall him. People from average backgrounds wouldn’t be able to afford the kit, thereby putting an end to their dreams and talent, though no one could be blamed on this account.
Australia v India - Second Test: Day 4
Why bowl when you can bat?
Batting preference: Cricket is hugely influenced by the slam-bang theory of going berserk and smashing the ball, at least for an average fan. Therefore kids love to bat more than they want to bowl, and India is especially known for producing world-class batsmen whom aspiring youngsters look up to. Choosing to be a batsman is the most easy and obvious choice for us, having grown up seeing the Master, Dada and The Wall in action.
Lack of exposure: In a country of politics and back-door lobbying, the people in power are at fault for jeopardizing the state of cricket in this country to suit their needs. Nothing can be proved of course, but it has been a tradition in India, and personal preference and connections have proved responsible for the suppression of talent. Youngsters have struggled to find their feet, owing to the huge amount of competition and the race isn’t easy for most of them.
Fear of failure: Probably the most obvious factor which prevents the development of a genuine fast bowling talent. We have numerous examples to demonstrate the sad story of fast bowlers who have resorted to bowling “line and length” rather than building up on their original talent due to the fear of failure. The general perception is that once a bowler gets injured, he is replaced by another bowler and it is difficult for him to make a comeback; therefore, the bowler cuts down his pace to save his career which indirectly affects his career either way, for, a bowler who was an express quick would find it difficult to stick to line and length, thereby getting stuck in between speed and ‘line and length’ and ending up being an epic failure.
Lack of management: Player handling has been a major area of concern for the BCCI, who are historically against the so called “rotation policy” that was designed to manage a player properly throughout his career. Players have perished due to the incompetence of the board.
Ouch! Not again?
Ouch! Not again?
Lacks of fitness: How many times have you seen a certain Zaheer Khan breaking down in the middle of an important game? Fitness has been an issue for our players, because they do not train or eat properly, getting carried away by the initial adulation that they receive. Successful fast bowlers have always credited their success to their extremely organized diet and fitness regimes. Being fit is the key for any fast bowler, and without fitness, it is impossible to survive top level cricket.
I was really feeling jealous after seeing Pakistan launch missile after missile of fast bowlers and I sincerely wish that India could have such bowlers too. Maybe they would have, had Pakistan remained with us during the partition.
But talking about it won’t make our situation any better and the BCCI should definitely look into this issue and find a suitable solution. Having fast bowlers would mean an improved chance for India to compete against the likes of Australia and England in their den.