It is a well-known fact that India was not famous for producing fast bowlers in cricket and because of which Indian batsmen used to get surprised whenever they visited foreign countries, especially in SENA nations – South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. However, from the past 2-3 years, this image of Indian pacers have changed as they have mastered the art of bowling fast and are continuously pushing the speed above 140 km/h.
One could say that from the past few years, a total transformation has been noticed in the Indian bowling unit. The Indian bowlers have become fast, lethal and most importantly, consistent in maintaining fitness which is the crucial issue for speedsters.
In fact, Indian bowlers have troubled the top batsmen of modern-day cricket irrespective of the conditions. This has helped Team India to become a top-ranked nation in cricket. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, and Umesh Yadav have been influential in India’s success, particularly in overseas surroundings.
Now the big question arises here is that what has changed in the past few years for the Indian fast bowlers? Well, India’s bowling coach Bharath Arun has the answer. Arun has revealed the strategies the team management has applied to monitor the bowlers.
“When we talk about workload management, we are looking at the number of overs a bowler has bowled. But then a bowler can over-exert himself in a game, and that is not under your control. So we use the GPS tracker to monitor all his movements on the field,” said Arun.
Arun stated that data analysis of a particular bowler helps to draw the right balance in order to groom a paceman.
“For example, a bowler runs around 20 km on the field. And the tracker gives us a lot of data and information about the bowler concerned. By analysing those data, you can manage the workload at training sessions. Basically, it would help if you found the right balance. And the Indian bowlers have managed to do that so far,” Arun added.
“This is the reason why we are successful as a bowling unit, and the bowlers can bowl at 140 km/h regularly,” Arun said on episode three of Inside Out,” Arun added further.
