Speed thrills

Suddenly, it seems, the spin kings of the dead, dusty designer tracks have been overthrown.

There are several reasons for this. While virtually every player, coach and administrator proclaims the emergence of the pace-bowler era, their reasons vary 8212; from the new format and newly laid wickets to the healthy influence of the National Cricket Academy and more exposure to the pacers on the domestic circuit.

THE RUB OF THE GREEN

THE start of the season gave an indication of the domination of the fast bowlers. Mumbai8217;s first game in the season 8212; an away match against Hyderabad 8212; was anticipated to be yet another slugfest for batsmen on a traditional feather bed. But the newly-laid strip turned this to be a low-scoring affair with Mumbai paceman Aavishkar Salvi8217;s nine-wicket haul making him an overnight probable for the Indian team. Suddenly, the groundwork done by the BCCI8217;s pitches8217; committee, which was severely criticised for the run marathons during the West Indies series, was reaping rich harvests for the long-famished pace bowlers.

Over to chairman S Kasturirangan: 8216;8216;Within a month or so of our re-laying nine of the wickets at Test centres, the West Indians arrived. The wickets were not actually ready then. Now, my colleagues and myself are happy that all the re-laid wickets have proved to be lively,8217;8217; he says.

The change in nature of the wickets can be best assessed by old-timers on the domestic circuit. Gujarat8217;s batting mainstay Mukund Parmar, who has been a regular for the last 15 years, can fathom the change in the nature of the carpet under his feet. 8216;8216;Overall, I think, the wickets are much better now than a few years ago. They are positive tracks, they help seamers but if a batsman really works hard then he can score runs also,8217;8217; he said. He gives the example of his state pacer Lalit Patel. He made his debut seven years back but in the last couple of years he has improved a lot. 8216;8216;It is because of the grassy wickets that this turnaround has come about,8217;8217; he adds.

Or take the case of Balaji, Tamil Nadu8217;s most prolific wicket-taker this season. According to his teammate S Sharath, 8216;8216;since we have played most of the matches on the newly-laid track at Chennai, Balaji has bloomed and shown his true potential.8217;8217;

But the pace success story for the last couple of seasons has the Baroda dateline. Zaheer Khan, Rakesh Patel, Irfan Pathan Junior and Seniors had a big role to play in Baroda8217;s domination on the domestic scene. Baroda selector Rakesh Parikh throws light on the emergence of Baroda8217;s deadly four. 8216;8216;We have taken the initiative in preparing fast tracks. In the last two years, we have finished our home games in three-and-a-half days. That8217;s how Zaheer and Rakesh have come up,8217;8217; he says. National selector Kiran More of Baroda, too, seconds this view. 8216;8216;Wickets at GSFC, Alembic, IPCL grounds have been excellent and they have helped the pace bowlers a lot.8217;8217;

The final word comes from BCCI8217;s talent scout and former Test skipper Dilip Vengsarkar, who knows the wicket around the country like the back of his palm. About re-laid wickets in Delhi and Jaipur he says, 8216;8216;For the first time, I saw life in them. It has also exposed the inadequate techniques of the Indian batsmen, who thrive on such pata wickets.8217;8217;

NATIONAL CRICKET ACADEMY

IF the sudden hue of green has seen the mushrooming of pace bowlers, the seeds of their success were sown at the National Cricket Academy, the brainchild of former BCCI chief Raj Singh Dungarpur. The new generation of speedsters vouch by this comprehensive cricket school which was established in May 2000. The modernised training facilities and an expert team of coaches, physios, dietitians and psychologists have presented the young pacers with a dream scenario. Salvi calls NCA the single reason for his 8216;improved8217; performance. 8216;8216;The total atmosphere at NCA is so different from all the camps I have attended. The regimen involving weight training and a few fast bowler8217;s specific drills have helped me a lot,8217;8217; he says.

But didn8217;t we have the MRF Pace Academy for years with all modern facilities and the guidance of Pace Guru Dennis Lillee? National junior selector Chamundeshwar explains. 8216;8216;Young pacers were taught to bowl on the lively track at MRF. But when they played domestic cricket, things didn8217;t work because of the dead tracks. But today, with lively tracks, things learnt at academies can be put to use,8217;8217; he says. Since the five zonal arms of the national academy take in young pacers at an early age, the nurturing process is much more refined. Mumbai coach Chandrakant Pandit agrees: 8216;8216;The biggest impact has been that aspiring bowlers are aware of the technical and fitness aspects at an early age.8217;8217; Balwinder Singh Sandhu, the former head bowling coach at NCA, says 8216;8216;The fitness culture there has played a big role. Bowlers are now more organised mentally and their skill level too has gone up.8217;8217;

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

FOR long it was said that the 8216;next Kapil Dev8217; never checked in since it was impossible to match his profile. But television showed an aspiring cricketer that bucketful of wickets could be had day in and day out by pacers of all hue. For inspiration the young pacers are looking overseas, the prime example of which is Salvi. The Mumbai medium pacer just does not bowl like Glenn McGrath but observers say that he even walks and stands like him. 8216;8216;My hero is McGrath and I want to bowl like him and pick wickets just as he has done over the years,8217;8217; he says. More too feels that pace bowling has certainly become more sexy now. 8216;8216;Children watch a McGrath, a Shoaib or a Lee bowling on TV and they want to become fast bowlers,8217;8217;he says.

Exposure has also meant more foreign tours for young pacers. Take the case of Irfan. Without a Test cap in his kit bag, the Baroda youngster has toured England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Malaysia with the u-15, u-19 and India 8216;A8217; teams. India 8216;A8217; skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar says he has seen the impact of these away tours on the young fast bowlers. 8216;8216;Guys like Balaji and Pathan have been with me on India 8216;A8217; tour and I definitely saw them gain confidence.8217;8217;

Maybe with the fast bowlers gaining in confidence and slowly emerging from the shadows of our great spinners, that disillusioned Indian cricket fan will finally have an answer to that perennial question: If Pakistan pacers can dream to log 150 kph on the speedometer, why can8217;t the Indians?