The worry lines on the forehead of Chinnaswamy Stadium curator Narayan Raju fluctuated with the dipping temperature and the changing intensity of the light drizzle. The cricket challenged would love the pleasant evening, courtesy the sudden change of weather, but Raju can’t afford that luxury. ‘Clouds following the cricketers’ has been a Bangalore tradition, but the curator considers it a professional hazard. He prides that the 22-yard strip he has prepared has intrinsic bounce and he flaunts the green tinge on the pitch too, but under present circumstances these assets can prove to be a liability for India. “We never prepare mine-fields that help spinners. The pacers will get bounce,” says Raju, as he also adds that in the present circumstances this might mean advantage Pakistan. The message is loud and clear at Chinnaswamy Stadium: Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Sohail Tanvir vs Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan, VRV Singh is a no contest. Indian bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad hasn’t yet checked into his hometown yet, but the pacer in him gets excited when he is told about the conditions. Even when he is reminded about the pace department’s fitness problems, he doesn’t lose heart. “Such situations will give us a chance to take stock of our resources,” he told The Indian Express. And considering that this will be a test for youngsters like Sharma and VRV or comeback man Pathan, these favourable conditions would certainly be encouraging for them. When asked if the likes of Zaheer or Munaf would regret missing the chance of bowling in such favourable conditions, Prasad talks about the importance of ‘rest and recovery’. “Pace bowling is the toughest job. That is the reason pacers are used to bowling with niggles. But the vital point is to know the threshold and how far things need to be stretched. Pushing a bowler too much can see these niggles being aggravated,” he says while referring to Zaheer Khan’s case. Prasad goes on to add how he has been keeping a tab on the fitness of his bowlers. “In Test matches pacers bowl over 20 overs in an inning and that takes a heavy toll on them. And so keeping all that in mind one needs to prepare a schedule for them even at the nets,” he says. From the point of view of the Indian think-tank the overhauling of the pace department is done keeping in mind the bigger picture. Despite the green tinge on the pitch, it is expected that curator Raju will be putting a few strokes of brown on the 22-yard strip in the coming days. And that would mean that the Indian bowling attack will once again be spin oriented. So a rest for the top Indian pacers — Zaheer Khan, RP Singh and Munaf Patel — before the Australian tour wouldn’t be a bad idea. They might have missed out on the chance to bowl on a bouncy track here, but there will be enough opportunities for them Down Under.
