Ashwin a revelation in Cup: Bowling coach
He knew it wouldn’t be a bed of roses. Put in charge of the Indian cricket team’s most scrutinised department, bowling coach Bharath Arun had a series of acid tests lined up for him starting with the highly- anticipated England tour. Not only did the former India all- rounder survive the trial, but also transformed the bowling unit into a potent one. Even though the team performed dismally against Australia in the semi- final of the World Cup, no one can take credit away from them for winning seven matches in a row and bowling out all the opponents in the process.
Not many would have put their money on the Men in Blue to dominate the league stage, especially after a barren run in the Australia Test series and the subsequent tri- series. But Arun, who takes immense pride in the transformation of Indian bowlers, said there was never an element of doubt about the team’s potential.
“First of all, the Test series wasn’t disappointing. It could have gone either way. We were very close to winning the first Test and had our moments in the second as well. No team in Australia managed to play out a draw with the hosts, batting out the final day which we achieved in Melbourne and Sydney. In the tri- series, we were trying a lot of things ahead of the World Cup. We were always confident the team would do well. Of course, you can never plan 70 wickets in seven games. That’s something we can’t say we planned. But we knew the team had the potential to do it,” Arun told this newspaper.
The former TN pacer said it was a combined effort from the bowlers that helped India emerge group toppers. “All the three fast bowlers — Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami — bowled efficiently. However, I would say R. Ashwin was the revelation of the World Cup. He was getting wickets in the middle overs and did amazingly well in pacer- friendly conditions. His man of the match award in Perth was a case in point. Like batting partnerships, our bowlers bowled well in tandem,” said Arun.
Known for his effective communication skills and putting people at ease with his sense of humour, Arun stood behind his bowlers through the ups and downs. “A coach’s real forte should be communication, especially at this level,” said Arun.
“Your interpersonal skills have to be really good. You should be able to put across your views in an acceptable manner. It’s all about managing people and it comes only with experience,” said Arun, who worked in the National Cricket Academy for years and travelled with India ‘ A’ teams before landing the job with the senior team.
Back in India, Arun will be working with Royal Challengers Bangalore in his maiden IPL stint. “It’s exciting and I expect it to be a challenging assignment. I have been looking forward to it as I couldn’t accept IPL offers while working with NCA,” said Arun.
Arun said IPL helps bowlers learn the art of performing under pressure. “It’s a high- pressure game. As a bowler, things you learn from a T20 game can be applied to critical situations like death overs in a 50- over game. T20 teaches the importance of being efficient in executing your skills. The limited overs game provides plenty of room for the batsmen to innovate, but bowlers have to be accurate to excel. Even if someone has the ability to bowl a potent yorker like Malinga, it has to be so precise that he should get it eight out of 10 times right to achieve success,” Arun said.
At the end of the World Cup, Dhoni had said the BCCI should nurture the core group of bowlers and minimise their workload in the domestic circuit. Arun said: “I guess the BCCI is doing its bit. The NCA has been managing the bowlers well. There are bowlers who can do well in all formats, while certain players are suited for specific formats.
“It’s a question of identifying those qualities. And we shouldn’t have different set of bowlers for limited overs and longer format just for the sake of being different. If a bowler is good enough for all formats, let him be.”
The Test series wasn’t disappointing. It could have gone either way. We were very close to winning the first Test and had our moments in the second as well. No team in Australia managed to play out a draw with the hosts, batting out the final day which we achieved in Melbourne and Sydney. — BHARATH ARUN, India bowling coach