India vs Bangladesh, 2017: Indian pacers use Speed Shotgun ahead of the one-off Test

The Indian pacers were introduced to a new technology called the Speed Shotgun

What’s the story?

Ahead of the one-off Test against Bangladesh, the Indian pacers were introduced to a new technology called the Speed Shotgun by the skipper Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble. 

A member of the Indian team management confirmed the use of the technology. “Yes, it was used during training on Monday to assess the pace at which the Indian bowlers were bowling,” he said.

In case you didn’t know...

It is no secret that India’s new skipper Virat Kohli likes to have pacers who have raw pace and has often spoken how a genuine pacer can get a wicket even on a flat deck. Ever since taking over as captain, Kohli has backed bowlers who can hit the 140km/hr mark on a constant basis rather than having a medium pacer who bowls a consistent line. This is evident from the way he uses Umesh Yadav ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has done well in the past.

The heart of the matter

The Speed Shotgun machine is a machine which helps to keep track of the pace at which a bowler delivers the ball. It is aimed at the pitch from behind the stumps as a bowler runs into bowl. The members of the support staff were seen standing behind the nets with the machine aimed at the pitch. The machine tracks the speed of the ball once it pitches on the wicket. 

Not only the pacers but also the spinners, who were closely monitored by Anil Kumble, used it because speed and trajectory are an integral part when spinners bowl on turning tracks.

Also read: Kuldeep Yadav replaces Amit Mishra in Indian squad

Parallels from history

This is not the first time the Indian cricket team under Anil Kumble is using a bizarre technique/technologies to prepare for a series. During the Test series against England, the Indian batsmen used coloured rubber balls, with each colour being used for a specific purpose to counter spin bowling. For example, the red ball would be bowled fuller for a front-foot defensive shot while the green ball would be pitched slightly shorter for the batsman to advance down the wicket and play a lofted shot.

Sportskeeda’s take

As you have seen in the past, technology has always benefitted the team in the past. It is good to see the team management monitoring the pace of the bowlers. At the same time, they should also manage the workload of the pacers so that they can have a prolonged cricket career without getting injured.