Short staff

A few days back when the BCCI president Sharad Pawar summoned selectors to discuss the South African disaster, the issue cropped up again. Though it was a batsmen-made crisis, one of the suggestions floated by Vengsarkar was 8220;we desperately need a bowling coach.8221; As Pawar nodded in agreement, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah noted it down. But the suggestion of a 8220;bowling coach8221; got drowned in the din that followed. Support staff requirement was on back burner after Sourav Ganguly8217;s inclusion and Virender Sehwag8217;s demotion.

Shah says, 8220;these things can8217;t happen overnight, we have to consult Chappell and team management first.8221; Dravid gave a hint about what could be Chappell8217;s possible reply at the warm-up match at Potchefstroom. 8220;The batsmen that we have here have played in these conditions before. We know what lengths and lines to bowl. Zaheer has been here before, and we8217;ll tap into his experience. Anil has bowled all around the world, and we8217;ll make use of his knowledge too,8221; he said.

Batsmen doubling as bowling consultants, experienced bowlers playing mentors, the troubled pacer Irfan Pathan picking on the brains of any former pace bowler who strolls to the India nets and Munaf Patel8217;s desperation to chat with Glenn McGrath all point to one thing: the inadequacy of the coaching staff to provide a support system to the bowlers.

That brings into the spotlight the coaching staff and someone who is seen as Chappell8217;s Man Friday: Ian Frazer. In his initial days with the team, Chappell had given a detailed explanation about Frazer8217;s role in the team. 8220;We wouldn8217;t have come this far without people like Ian Frazer and others among the support staff. Before I arrived in India, I knew that from a practical application point of view, Frazer was the best sports scientist and bio-mechanist in cricket and I didn8217;t want to take this job without having him. He is such an important cog in the wheel for me, to be able to get my philosophy through to the players. Frazer brings with him his experience in the area of sports science, biomechanics and sports and learning methods,8221; he had said. There was an ambiguity about Frazer8217;s role but BCCI wasn8217;t too bothered. Secretary Shah had said, 8220;He can be anything so long as the team is winning.8221;

And when the team wasn8217;t winning, it did matter what he was doing. The 39-year-old tried to avoid the question when he was asked to put a tag on his role. Are you a bio-mechanist or a sports scientist? To which he answered: 8220;You can call me anything. I have been assigned certain tasks by Chappell and that is what I am supposed to do. He the coach has certain plans that he wants to implement and I am only following what he has asked of me.8221;

While the present team members refuse to talk about Frazer, those who are out of the loop now ridicule the role played by Chappell8217;s assistant 8212; of course, on condition of anonymity.

A pace bowler, who was once part of Chappell8217;s Vision 2007 Plan but was dropped subsequently, insists that Frazer is someone who merely gives them fielding practice. 8220;At the nets, he just takes a bat and gives the players catching practice. He does absolutely nothing except for, maybe, talking in English about Greg8217;s coaching methods, which mostly the players never manage to understand,8217;8217; says a senior member of the Indian team. Though in the past bowlers like Ajit Agarkar and Harbhajan Singh have talked about how Frazer8217;s suggestions regarding the run-up, ball grip and angles have helped them, these rare voices have got drowned in the shrill chorus of criticism.

Former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, through his newspaper columns, and Ravi Shastri, while on air, have repeatedly questioned Frazer8217;s role in the team and called for the appointment of a bowling coach. Others have raised the 8220;accountability8221; issue too. Former India coach Anshuman Gaekwad says, 8220;It is high time Frazer stopped being the silent guy working in Chappell8217;s shadow. The board is paying him money and that too good money, he better answer.8221; He even goes on to add that players should come forward and talk about Frazer in the open. 8220;It is very obvious that players will be scared to talk about Frazer but that8217;s where the coach comes in the picture. It is the board8217;s job to take players into confidence,8221; he says.

The local coaches who interact with the big stars during the international off-season say how confused their wards are. Pace bowlers, who make it to the national team by bowling in high 130s to early 140s-kph range, record a drastic 8216;slow down8217; within months of being with the Indian team. Says a coach, who is quite perturbed by the way his young quick bowler is being handled. 8220;He8217;s been specifically told that he stands a chance of injuring himself if he does not follow the given instructions. They always talk about World Cup 2007 and the importance of peaking at that time,8217;8217; says a coach.

Another former India coach Madan Lal is more specific and he says, 8220;The team has messed up Irfan Pathan. I am completely clueless about what Frazer is doing. Our present pace attack is the weakest I have seen in a long time.8221;

So what8217;s the way out? Madan says, 8220;we need a bowling coach, it8217;s as simple as that.8221; Who? 8220;We need to check his credentials. Someone who has played at top level himself and knows a thing or two about bowling,8221; he says.

With a 17-match experience for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield and bowling just four first-class balls, Frazer cannot quite fit the bill.