In Kolkata, it146;s suddenly raining quicks

Ranadeb Bose isn8217;t young but, at 25, he says he still has at least five years left to do all he can. And though Bengal don8217;t have ...

Ranadeb Bose isn8217;t young but, at 25, he says he still has at least five years left to do all he can. And though Bengal don8217;t have a history of India pacemen, Bose has taken Shib Shankar Paul8217;s recent success as a yardstick to work with.

Speaking to The Indian Express at the sidelines of the Ranji Trophy game against Railways today, Bose explained how Paul has, indirectly, helped him. 8216;8216;Shib was not even a regular till two years back. Now he8217;s playing for India. And that8217;s a huge motivation. We knew he was on his way once he did so well on the India A tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya earlier this year, and he will only go from strength to strength. And that gives me a lot confidence.8217;8217;

Not just Paul, but the presence of a whole host of former Team India players 8212; Rohan Gavaskar, Devang Gandhi, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Deep Dasgupta 8212; in the line-up is a huge plus. And then there8217;s the bonus 8212; though occasional 8212; of sharing the dressing room with Sourav Ganguly.

It happened in Bengal8217;s game against Karnataka last week and, as Bose says, 8216;8216;What bigger motivation can there be than being with a guy who has been the captain of the country for the last 40-odd Tests? It8217;s a great feeling and he is also extremely helpful.8217;8217;

Playing for Bengal alone is inspiration. Bose proudly tells the story of how he got his first Bengal cap seven years ago. He refused to wear it and 8216;8216;would just stare at it and look in the mirror8217;8217;. But now, with so many India helmets and caps in the dressing room, 8216;8216;that8217;s what I want8217;8217;.

But that sort of motivation can only take the strapping six-foot-four outswing bowler some distance.

Beyond that, it has to be the wickets he picks up and the variations he brings into his bowling.

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8216;8216;I am a better bowler with the old ball and have been reverse swinging quite a bit of late. Obviously there8217;s a lot of room for improvement; a yard or two of pace for a start. My biggest strength though is that I can bowl a line on or around the off-stump practically all day,8217;8217; Bose says.

Add to that what Bengal coach Karsan Ghavri says about Bose being a lionheart 8216;8216;who is probably India8217;s only pacer who can bowl 10-15 over spells8217;8217;, and the potential is obviously there.

As a batsman, he has shown an ability to hang around and support his top order even if he can8217;t score runs. As a fielder, he is above average but, as he admits, can be better. 8216;8216;I am working on both with my coach Gopal Bose in Kolkata and I am getting better at both,8217;8217; he says.

Running in with his long hair flowing, Bose looks like Jason Gillespie and the principles of his bowling come from the Glenn McGrath School.

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For the next step up, the potential that is evident has to be harnessed, and the 8216;8216;10-15 per cent8217;8217; improvements he talks about have to come in.