Arzan happy to help India face Neil Wagner’s music
Even before Ajinkya Rahane chopped Neil Wagner’s slow short ball on to the stumps in the Christchurch Test early last year, he seemed to have been dismissed a few times in his mind in one of the tireless spells of short-pitched bowling by the New Zealand left-arm pacer. In what is often the case, Wagner had telegraphed his field—slip, short leg and leg gully—but the India vice-captain failed to get on top of the awkward angle and relentless questioning by the Kiwi work- horse.
Wagner will be at it again in Southampton in the World Test Championship final next month and Rahane and Co. will have to face him. Only this time, they would have trialled against a bowler of similar mode and build at the nets in England. The 23-year-old Arzan Nagwaswalla’s choice as a reserve bowler in India’s 24-member squad to England surprised many but ability to simulate Wagner’s line of attack was a factor that gave the Gujarat leftarm seamer his first international tour. “I am happy I will be able to prepare our batsmen to handle their left-arm fast bowlers,” said Nagwaswalla. “I will try to make it tough for the batsmen in the nets so that they are ready for the match.”
With T Natarajan injured, other options the selectors had was last Ranji season’s highest wicket-taker Jaydev Unadkat and his Saurashtra team-mate, Chetan Sakariya, a swing bowler with the red ball who also impressed in IPL. But getting a left-armer with pace to pepper the batsmen with the short ball from both sides of the wicket is seen as vital preparation. It was something Nagwaswalla
is adept at.
“In the Gujarat Ranji team, when we want to bowl a spell full of bouncers, I am the one who does it. From my 41 wickets in the Ranji trophy, 12-15 came from bouncers. Otherwise, I look to bowl good in-swingers to right-handers,” he said.
The bowler says he had no idea if he was in national contention while working in the IPL nets or whether the opinion of his Mumbai Indians coaches was sought. What he now won’t fail to do is internalise “Trent Boult’s work ethics” that he observed at the MI nets. “Boult came across as a mast insaan (lovely guy),” he said.
Although Nagwaswalla’s been chosen as a reserve to provide practice, who’s to rule out a quirk of fate after what happened with Natarajan in Australia. The youngster “can’t wait to bowl to Virat Kohli in the nets”.
Left-arm practice
India’s stock of international quality left-arm fast bowlers has dried up. The 2000s were the most productive with one or more of Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh offering variety. The current crop has been unable to find space in India’s skilled pace pack. Therefore, carrying a leftarm seamer for match simulation is becoming a regular feature on away tours.
In Natarajan’s role
Unlike India, most strong Test teams have a leading speedster who bowls left arm. The call to keep Natarajan with the Test squad in Australia after the limited-overs leg was designed to provide batsmen a useful net before facing Mitchel Starc. England, who India face in an August-September Test series, have Sam Curran. Apart from New Zealand who have two leftarm quicks, Pakistan has the impressive Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Before Covid, when carrying jumbo squads hadn’t become a norm, India didn’t have any leftarmer to use in the nets. That’s what prompted Nuwan Seneviratne, a throw-down expert from Sri Lanka, to be added to the support staff 2018 onwards. He will be on tour in England too.
Players though say the sidearm tool can’t match a bowler. “It’s a lot higher when the ball comes down from the side arm than from a bowler. Besides, the feel your eye gets waiting for the bowler as he runs in is a lot different,” said a player. “But it’s an aid that’s become necessary, particularly when you don’t have a left-arm fast option in your squad.”