Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Coach Arun defends ‘rest’ for pace pack

- Reuters sportsdesk@hindustant­imes.com

Fast bowlers are a precious commodity and they need to be taken care of like a racehorse.

B ARUN, On importance of pacers

MELBOURNE: India are treating their pace bowlers like prize-winning thoroughbr­eds after the series-opening win over Australia in Adelaide while cautioning them against straining too hard at the reins when the second match gets under way in Perth.

Ishant Sharma, Md Shami and Jasprit Bumrah took 14 of 20 wickets at Adelaide in a fine debut as a pace trio on Australian soil that helped fire the tourists to a 31-run win. Former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote on Twitter that Virat Kohli and actress wife Anushka Sharma had given up their business class seats to two of the quicks for the 3.5 hour flight from Adelaide to Perth on Tuesday.

Coach Ravi Shastri said all three were being spared net duties Tuesday in a bid to freshen up before Day One of the second Test starting at Perth on Friday. “I think fast bowlers are precious commodity and they need to be taken care of like what you do with a racehorse,” India bowling coach Bharat Arun said. “And that’s exactly what’s happening.”

Arun said India’s bowlers would welcome that prospect following the relatively unhelpful track served up at Adelaide.

“With a little help from the wicket, the bowlers would love that sort of a wicket,” he said.

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