The quick and the dead

The similarities though,historically,seem to end there. While pace prodigies from Pakistan,led by that irrepressible duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis,have risen meteorically; the same can’t be said about their Indian counterparts.

No wonder then that the national selectors’ decision to have 18-year-old Jaidev Unadkat be part of the Indian squad in Sri Lanka for the upcoming Test series as a ‘net-bowler’ has received mixed responses back home. It was an awe-inspiring first-class debut,where the lanky left-arm pacer picked up 13 wickets for India A against West Indies A in a four-day game at Leicester last month that fast-tracked Unadkat into the Indian dressing-room — with an outside chance of an international debut,considering India’s pace woes.

Ironically,leading the new-ball attack in Sri Lanka will be Ishant Sharma,the perfect paradigm of a prodigious Indian fast bowler having lost his way. Ishant too had spent his first tour to England in 2007 on the sidelines. But after a noteworthy debut season,he has often looked clueless with the ball in his hand over the last few months.

In contrast,Pakistan’s 18-year-old sensation,Mohammad Aamer just like Akram,Younis and the likes of Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul before him has continued to make stellar progress after an impressive beginning. And the left-arm fast bowler proved how he has furthered his stature with an incisive spell of 4/72 against the Australians—including the wickets of Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson—at Lord’s earlier this week.

Load of expectations

While there is a consensus among most experts back home when it comes to throwing fast bowlers into the deep end at a young age,many like former Indian fast bowler and Delhi coach Manoj Prabhakar insist that the onus is on the think-tank to ensure they remain focused on developing their skills.

“In India,young fast bowlers like Ishant and Irfan (Pathan) are made to feel too important very early on in their careers and there is a lot of expectation from them too,” says Prabhakar.

He believes the main advantage that the young Pakistanis have had so far is not only an experienced head bowling at the other end,but also a very established fast bowler assisting them on the sidelines. Prabhakar though admits that the likes of Ishant and Sreesanth had benefited a lot,whenever they had Zaheer Khan operating along with them.

“Even Aamer has two established guys,Umar Gul and Mohammad Asif to get guidance from,and a crucial factor outside the ground,Waqar as the coach. And when these bowlers trip off the road,he is there to bring them back,” explains Prabhakar. Unfortunately,the most experienced fast bowler that Unadkat will get to pick the brains of in Sri Lanka will be Ishant.

Another former new-ball bowler,Madan Lal,who enjoyed a brief stint as national coach in the 90s,believes that the problem in India is the lack of feedback these young pacers get. He believes that off-field distractions too have a huge role to play since the youngsters have to deal with loss of form and subsequent rehabilitation.

“There are a lot of factors around their cricket that sees them losing focus. There is not an ample prize put on the India cap. Look at someone like VRV Singh. He was groomed early. He made his millions by playing IPL and fell off the radar very quickly,” says Lal.

Coaching failure

Prabhakar,meanwhile,believes the bowling coach has to be someone who would understand the young pacemen and ensure that they don’t waver off. Venkatesh Prasad and his successor Eric Simons,he believes,have failed to play that role.

While the unfortunate and rapid fall from grace of Irfan Pathan over the last few seasons,where he went from India’s main strike-bowler to more of a batting all-rounder in the limited overs’ format,has been well-documented; the likes of Ishant have also had injury worries plaguing them. And it’s the spate of injuries that Indian fast bowlers have suffered in recent times that has led to an increasing number of backers for a rotation policy.

Vivek Razdan,who has been commenting on domestic cricket over the last few seasons,is adamant that the board needs to create a pool of young fast bowlers and use them judiciously.

“The main issue is that there is always a sense of insecurity that affects them. While blooding a youngster,without much first-class experience is not a bad idea,he needs to be persevered with. Some of them hide injuries and continue playing because of the fear of losing their place,eventually ending up with a serious injury,” explains Razdan.

Not only does a young tear-away create excitement with the skills that he displays in his initial performances,early success at the international level often leads selectors and even captains taking his fitness for granted.

Physical disparity

And it is the difference in the physical strength between Indian and Pakistani fast bowlers,that Balwinder Singh Sandhu believes was the deciding factor when it came to their ability to sustain their peak at the highest level.

“Even at 18 and 19,those Pakistan boys are built very strong and it is easier for them to endure the physical challenges that international cricket puts on them. And our boys also mature at a physical level much later in their careers like say a (Javagal) Srinath and even Zaheer,” explains the former Mumbai coach.

While Sandhu insists that most youngsters,who come into the Indian team,stop learning and picking up more skills once they are there,Razdan in contrast believes that too much guidance was the bane of these youngsters.

“They go through six or seven coaches if not more between the ages of 18-25,and they have to adapt to so many different kind of coaching techniques that they end up being confused about their own ability,” says Razdan.

Ask any of them about where and how the likes of Irfan and Ishant really lost their bearings,and they conjure up a number of technical issues that the two young pacemen are supposed to have picked up along the way some say because of ignorance,while the more nationalistic as a result of foreign coaches,who never understood the Indian fast bowler or his mindset.

Only time will tell now whether the new-pace-kid-on-the-block Unadkat ends up going the Aamer-way or the Irfan-way,and having made a bold call,the selectors can now just hope that he doesn’t end up back in the Saurashtra dust-bowl in a few years time,as another washed-up prodigy,desperately seeking a second-wind.

Pak pacers win numbers game

5 Pakistan fast bowlers took more than 20 Test wickets while they were still teenagers. Wasim Akram (28),Mohammad Aamer* (25),Umar Gul (25),Aaqib Javed (23) and Ata-ur-Rehman (21). India have only two,Ishant Sharma (23) and Chetan Sharma (22).

1 Pakistani fast bowler has claimed more than five wickets in an innings for a team victory during his teens,Umar Gul. No Indian fast bowler has achieved this feat.

2 Indian fast bowlers who played when they were teenagers went on to take 100+ wickets. Kapil Dev (434) and Irfan Pathan (100). Pakistan have as many as five. Wasim Akram (414),Waqar Younis (373),Imran Khan (362),Umar Gul (101) and Abdul Razzaq (100)

0 five wickets hauls have been claimed by Ishant Sharma in the last 35 innings. At the same time,Mohammad Asif has claimed as many as half-a-dozen.

6 out of Irfan Pathan’s seven five wicket hauls have come against either Bangladesh and Zimbbawe. None of Mohammad Asif’s six five-wicket hauls have been against the minnows.