Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
Praveen Kumar missed the World Cup due to injury, and India fans feared for the worst. The Indians still won the World Cup, with a supposedly weaker bowling attack. This should now put in perspective Praveen's role in the side- where can he fit?
He's often been spoken about as an extraordinary swing bowler- possibly the next Kapil Dev. He's done well abroad, in most countries with sluggish or lively pitches. However, inside of India, where pitches are largely flat, he's been cold turkey. Outside of India, his average and strike rate are impressive, but inside, he's got an average of 67 and a strike rate of 73. That's much worse than Yusuf Pathan, who's got a mere fraction of the chances Praveen got with the ball. Besides, he's only medium-pace and struggles with the old ball.
Praveen's batting was one of the major factors in UP's 2005-06 Ranji Trophy win, where regular chunks from lower down the order at a rapid pace even earned him an occasional promotion to open the innings. However, once he made his India debut, his batting largely fell away, although he has shown glimpses of that potential in a home series against Australia, with his only ODI fifty. If he can regularly notch up chunky scores in the lower order, he's got a serious chance of making a permanent place in the national side, as his bowling is much better than most of the bits-and-pieces players (JP Yadav, Bangar, Nayar)picked for India for the role. His fielding is terrible, but if someone can mentor him well, like Kirsten and Jonty did Munaf, he too can improve.
He can make it to Tests if his batting improves. His bowling is decent, but unspectacular, for the white uniforms. With Harbhajan's twin centuries in a recent Test series, there is an option of playing him as the fifth bowler. He's no T20 prospect, so we can ignore that form.
He's been upstaged by Munaf as the second seamer for India, and while the third is open, an Ishant comeback can hamper his chances. Munaf's strike rate and fielding have improved lately, pushing Praveen back as a bowler. He doesn't have the pace or disconcerting bounce (or even fielding) that Ishant has, although he can bat better. Both Irfan and Balaji, vastly experienced, are better bowlers and offer more. Both are out of contention now, but still exhibit better figures than Praveen, still in contention. He may edge ahead of the largely uncapped Vinay or unreliable Nehra, comfortably. As an all-rounder, he has competition from Yusuf, whose second skill is much superior, as also his fielding. An Irfan comeback can also threaten his place in the side, although Ashwin is likely to play alongside him, not ahead of him.
To sum it up, he's a limited bowler, and may be out of that race quickly. He can make it as a bowler who can get runs, putting him ahead of a few other contenders. If he can reproduce that batting form from domestic games in the lower order for India, and become at least a safe fielder, he'll figure as an ODI player regularly for some time.
He's often been spoken about as an extraordinary swing bowler- possibly the next Kapil Dev. He's done well abroad, in most countries with sluggish or lively pitches. However, inside of India, where pitches are largely flat, he's been cold turkey. Outside of India, his average and strike rate are impressive, but inside, he's got an average of 67 and a strike rate of 73. That's much worse than Yusuf Pathan, who's got a mere fraction of the chances Praveen got with the ball. Besides, he's only medium-pace and struggles with the old ball.
Praveen's batting was one of the major factors in UP's 2005-06 Ranji Trophy win, where regular chunks from lower down the order at a rapid pace even earned him an occasional promotion to open the innings. However, once he made his India debut, his batting largely fell away, although he has shown glimpses of that potential in a home series against Australia, with his only ODI fifty. If he can regularly notch up chunky scores in the lower order, he's got a serious chance of making a permanent place in the national side, as his bowling is much better than most of the bits-and-pieces players (JP Yadav, Bangar, Nayar)picked for India for the role. His fielding is terrible, but if someone can mentor him well, like Kirsten and Jonty did Munaf, he too can improve.
He can make it to Tests if his batting improves. His bowling is decent, but unspectacular, for the white uniforms. With Harbhajan's twin centuries in a recent Test series, there is an option of playing him as the fifth bowler. He's no T20 prospect, so we can ignore that form.
He's been upstaged by Munaf as the second seamer for India, and while the third is open, an Ishant comeback can hamper his chances. Munaf's strike rate and fielding have improved lately, pushing Praveen back as a bowler. He doesn't have the pace or disconcerting bounce (or even fielding) that Ishant has, although he can bat better. Both Irfan and Balaji, vastly experienced, are better bowlers and offer more. Both are out of contention now, but still exhibit better figures than Praveen, still in contention. He may edge ahead of the largely uncapped Vinay or unreliable Nehra, comfortably. As an all-rounder, he has competition from Yusuf, whose second skill is much superior, as also his fielding. An Irfan comeback can also threaten his place in the side, although Ashwin is likely to play alongside him, not ahead of him.
To sum it up, he's a limited bowler, and may be out of that race quickly. He can make it as a bowler who can get runs, putting him ahead of a few other contenders. If he can reproduce that batting form from domestic games in the lower order for India, and become at least a safe fielder, he'll figure as an ODI player regularly for some time.