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Will India ever match fast bowling trends

speedyguy

Cricket Spectator
It was clear from last series in South Africa that india lacked pace apart from their poor top order batting display. But they still got a decent batting line up to make a come back but they still lack a fast bowler who can exploit such pitches and take batsmen by surprise with pace and bounce.

Currently, I. Sharma, Sreesanth, Nehra, Zaheer Khan are so called spearheads of the team but they seldom cross 136-137Kmph mark. Although they have recorded over 145kmph at one time but thats a forgotten history now and they remain with "fast medium" status and not "fast bowler" status.

On other hand, we clearly saw South African bowlers dominted with their 88-94MPH pace and bounce. Even other teams have lights of Lee, Bond, Akhtar, Steyn, Morkel, Malinga, Edwards etc. India is in hunt for a true speedster and bowlers like Ishant, Sreesath used to clock higher but later they were trained to gain control at the cost of speed and now they range at around 130-134kmph. Will India ever find a true fast bowler?

Enjoy~!
 

subshakerz

International Coach
The issue is about quality, not speed. Sreesanth for much of the last series was averaging in the same speed zone as Steyn. Srinath, by my estimate, was roughly the same speed as Wasim for much of his career. The question is whether India can produce a worldclass fast bowler who can consistently average <25 and get wickets as prolifically in India as in South Africa.

There are a few reasons why they haven't as of yet. Fitness standards haven't been up to par. The cricket culture in India still is heavily in favor of batsmen, and the icons most boys look up to are batsmen like Dhoni, Sehwag, and Sachin. Pitches don't encourage bowlers to be pace men. And every so often when someone with potential shows up, like Irfan Pathan and Sharma, media hype, bloated expectations, and excessive cricket ensure that this potential remains unfulfilled.
 

salman85

International Debutant
I don't think the Pitch argument is valid.Pitches in Pakistan are pretty flat,but the battery of fast bowlers produced by Pakistan over the years is huge.Also,i don't agree with the notion that speed is not important.When you go through the greatest fast bowling attacks in history,there was always a Holding,Bishop,Donald,Waqar,Lee etc to assist the other quicks.Speed is a very important factor,and i am a strong believer in the fact that every great team needs to have atleast ONE bowler with raw,lightning quick pace.The level of intimidation generated by pace cannot be compared to other aspects of fast bowling.

Coming to India,not having a tearaway fast bowler does hamper them at times.But India has always relied on it's batsman.Having a great batting lineup and a good bowling lineup is probably their recipe for success.The pace factor is surprising however.India is a huge country,and they have not been able to produce a truly quick fast bowler over the years.Like subshakerz mentioned,the culture relies heavily in favor of batsmen.Also,the fast bowler most Indians would look upto would be Kapil Dev.And Kapil never had raw pace.

England had to wait a long time to find a world class spinner,and then they found Swann.India will have to hope and wait too i guess.
 
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TumTum

Banned
Indian bowlers need to put on more muscle, although they have done very well in-terms of skill to compensate for their lack of pace. However they will never have a balanced pace attack if they don't have an even proportion of both.
 

Blaze 18

Banned
The issue is about quality, not speed. Sreesanth for much of the last series was averaging in the same speed zone as Steyn. Srinath, by my estimate, was roughly the same speed as Wasim for much of his career. The question is whether India can produce a worldclass fast bowler who can consistently average <25 and get wickets as prolifically in India as in South Africa.

There are a few reasons why they haven't as of yet. Fitness standards haven't been up to par. The cricket culture in India still is heavily in favor of batsmen, and the icons most boys look up to are batsmen like Dhoni, Sehwag, and Sachin. Pitches don't encourage bowlers to be pace men. And every so often when someone with potential shows up, like Irfan Pathan and Sharma, media hype, bloated expectations, and excessive cricket ensure that this potential remains unfulfilled.
:thumbup:
 

morgieb

Request Your Custom Title Now!
2 simple reasons why India don't produce good seamers - culture and mismanagement.

Culture because every one wants to be a spinner or a batsman (in contrast to Pakistan), mismanagement because Indian fast bowlers get fast-tracked too easily and they end up as medium pacers/pie throwers.
 

Debris

International 12th Man
The issue is about quality, not speed. Sreesanth for much of the last series was averaging in the same speed zone as Steyn. Srinath, by my estimate, was roughly the same speed as Wasim for much of his career. The question is whether India can produce a worldclass fast bowler who can consistently average <25 and get wickets as prolifically in India as in South Africa.

There are a few reasons why they haven't as of yet. Fitness standards haven't been up to par. The cricket culture in India still is heavily in favor of batsmen, and the icons most boys look up to are batsmen like Dhoni, Sehwag, and Sachin. Pitches don't encourage bowlers to be pace men. And every so often when someone with potential shows up, like Irfan Pathan and Sharma, media hype, bloated expectations, and excessive cricket ensure that this potential remains unfulfilled.
Actually, I would say that in large part it is about speed. Not that speed is the only thing but most great fast bowlers I can think of were capable of 90mph for most of their careers. Glenn McGrath was just a freak in this respect as in many others.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Actually, I would say that in large part it is about speed. Not that speed is the only thing but most great fast bowlers I can think of were capable of 90mph for most of their careers. Glenn McGrath was just a freak in this respect as in many others.
Not really.......Asif and even Amir were not express either and both were quite good bowlers. Amir though was quick for his age
 

Debris

International 12th Man
You don't think Asif was capable of 90mph before he had his issues? He was not the same bowler after.

I do think that Amir would have got to 90 mph soon if he had not already.

I would have to think about if I would consider either a great bowler.
 
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Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
Player management in India is dreadful. That's why you don't have tearaway pacers here. We have old stalwarts of the past crying foul each time there's an attempt to add pace to the bowling attack, often calling it un-Indian. Even an overseas expert, Greg Chappell, was equally guilty when he turned a tearaway pacer like Munaf into a very average medium-pacer.

And of course, we still find players dropped and left high and dry each time they struggle for form. One more example is Ishant Sharma, all set to lose his Test spot, after dropping out of the limited overs squads. We've seen too many cases like these, and some of them are genuinely good prospects, but there are a few who fit the bill, getting no support whatsoever.
 

Debris

International 12th Man
On the other hand, it could just be that the wickets in India are soul-destroying for fast bowlers and they all just give up or break down after a while. Might be the simplest explanation.
 

Debris

International 12th Man
Post I found about speeds of Pakistani bowlers recently (pakpassion.net)

"What's the big deal? He (Asif) was bowling 142ks+ in the ODI series in Australia on those dead wickets and was Pakistan's leading wicket taker I believe. He just upped the gear because he was getting reverse swing, and with the movement he troubled both Trott and Pietersen. A lot of bowlers do this, Amir jumped up in excess of 90mph with the old ball and Umar Gul is the classic example who has a huge leap in pace once the ball is reversing (goes from 84-85 to 89-92)."

I would say the odds are good that all 3 can hit 90 mph when they feel like it.
 

centurymaker

International Captain
Post I found about speeds of Pakistani bowlers recently (pakpassion.net)

"What's the big deal? He (Asif) was bowling 142ks+ in the ODI series in Australia on those dead wickets and was Pakistan's leading wicket taker I believe. He just upped the gear because he was getting reverse swing, and with the movement he troubled both Trott and Pietersen. A lot of bowlers do this, Amir jumped up in excess of 90mph with the old ball and Umar Gul is the classic example who has a huge leap in pace once the ball is reversing (goes from 84-85 to 89-92)."

I would say the odds are good that all 3 can hit 90 mph when they feel like it.
Amir and Gul can.
& Asif no longer can.
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
Player management in India is dreadful. That's why you don't have tearaway pacers here. We have old stalwarts of the past crying foul each time there's an attempt to add pace to the bowling attack, often calling it un-Indian. Even an overseas expert, Greg Chappell, was equally guilty when he turned a tearaway pacer like Munaf into a very average medium-pacer.
You go on about the Munaf example all the time. However, I have read it was done to preserve his body. If he went full tilt all the time, he would not stay on the park for long at all and that is the truth - just look at his early career, where he was constantly injured. Moreover, I still believe he is the same speed in Test cricket, perhaps just 5kph slower maximum speed, than he always was.
 

Shri

Mr. Glass
I hope Zak's success as a bowler encourages aspiring fast bowlers in India to work on their skill rather than pace. I also hope they grow a pair and request rest if their body isn't able to take it once in a while without worrying about their place in the side.
 

Bun

Banned
I hope Zak's success as a bowler encourages aspiring fast bowlers in India to work on their skill rather than pace. I also hope they grow a pair and request rest if their body isn't able to take it once in a while without worrying about their place in the side.
Zak apparently 'credited' his stint at Worcs, and praised the relentless season of county cricket. I believe it's a myth that constant cricket breaks a pace bowler down.

On the contrary forced sabbaticals where the body gets rested too much, and then suddenly pushed to the max at the beginning of another season causes more damage.

There are hardly any superfast bowlers who have continued being so for their entire career. Pace is glamorous, but is overrated. The most successful fast bowlers in cricket history are Ones who used their bodies with their brains. The Taits and the Fernandos belong to the other group.
 

Bun

Banned
Ftr, I don't know if it's just me, but felt Steyn was bowling in the 130s mostly during the last series. I know he did let some deliveries rip up which even touched 150 but they were microminority and a suprise weapon, the anti-slow delivery.

If it was a conscious decision understanding his body well, that all the more solidifies my adoration for him. No wonder perhaps he's one of the fittest around.
 

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