Young guns wait for shot at the big time

Incidentally, so happy are the captain and coach with this wicket that they went and thanked the curator Kishore Pradhan.

Excited over the prospect of a debut, Sreesunth is currently busy learning what could be the best possible approach on a pitch that will support slow bowling. ‘‘The trick is to concentrate on a good line, give away as less runs as possible,’’ he says.

The newest speedster on the block, who impressed Rahul Dravid with his medium pace (and his attitude) in the one-dayers against Pakistan, believes that it is important for any newcomer to stick to the basics, especially in testing conditions.

Sreesunth’s senior Rudra Pratap Singh, who has already experienced bowling on flat tracks in Pakistan during Tests, has a similar opinion. RP says the success in Pakistan (especially Lahore and Faisalabad) was because of the mistakes committed by the batsmen. ‘‘Bowlers had very little to do and the pitch wasn’t helpful,’’ he remembers.

That, he believes, has given RP the experience to handle such docile wickets. Except for the first day, the wicket is going to be really slow, and RP—who relies a lot on swing—expects to come up with a ‘‘disciplined performance,’’ which, he feels, will be the need of the hour. For Chawla, things have moved so fast that he hasn’t yet found time to speak to Anil Kumble. Chawla was first picked as a prospect by Erapalli Prasanna at a spinners’ conclave a little more than two years ago; since then he’s played the Under-19 World Cup and helped his state Uttar Pradesh win the Ranji Trophy. The performances have given him an opportunity to wear his first Test cap and the leg-spinner says he ‘‘will try to do his best.’’

Chawla talks about line and length as if they are old acquaintances. Explaining the point that his bowling has more ‘‘variation’’ than just turning it big, the young bowler gives an immediate run-down on his strengths and weaknesses.

Like Sreesunth, even Chawla’s most prized scalp until today is that of Sachin Tendulkar’s during the Challenger Trophy last year. ‘‘It was a special one,’’ he says.

Currently, though, his eyes are fixed on playing in the first Test. ‘‘Ranji Trophy has taught me how to bowl for long spells,’’ he says confidently, assured that bowling for long hours will be the basic requirement as a spinner at the international level.

If there is something that Chawla has in abundance, it’s confidence. At the VCA, he is sure that there is all that a spinner can hope to get in a debut match.