"I’d place the IPL and the robust India ‘A’ structure at the top of the pile for India’s pace revolution" - Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik reckons that the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the robustness of the India ‘A’ structure are the primary reasons for the pace revolution in Indian cricket over recent years.
For a major part of sporting history, India could only find a handful of quality seamers. However, a plethora of fast bowlers, who are skilled in moving the ball around and can touch the 90 mph mark consistently, have unearthed themselves in the last decade or so. Dinesh Karthik credits the IPL and India ‘A’ tours for this sudden transformation.
“I’d place the IPL and the robust India ‘A’ structure at the top of the pile for India’s pace revolution. A couple of good IPL stints pitchfork them into India ‘A’ contention, where Rahul Dravid and Paras Mhambrey sharpen their skills and entrust them to Ravi Shastri and Bharat Arun, the bowling coach of the senior team. Cricket being a winter sport in India, bowlers would snaffle wickets in helpful conditions but were found wanting at the highest level. Thanks to the IPL and India ‘A’, they are able to cross the bridge that much faster,” Dinesh Karthik wrote in The Telegraph.
The Kolkata Knight Riders skipper also pointed out that the whole young crop of fast bowlers who made it to the national side have come through the IPL route.
“Just to drive my point home. Prasidh Krishna is my teammate at Kolkata Knight Riders. He did well for Karnataka, but it was how he shaped up in the IPL which caught the attention of the selectors and the team management. I would go so far as to say that the last Indian pacer to emerge from beyond the IPL landscape was Mohammed Shami, back in 2013.”
"It was unnecessary for Siraj to shush batsmen" - Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik believes that most of India’s pace bowlers prefer to stay away from verbal or physical aggression and let the ball do the talking. However, he points out that Mohammed Siraj can go a bit overboard with the aggression as he showed in the Trent Bridge Test.
“I do feel it was unnecessary for Siraj to shush batsmen after dismissing them. You have already won the battle, why resort to this? That’s one learning for Siraj early in his international career.”
The former India wicket-keeper batter is happy with the intent shown by the Indian side though. The freedom that the players enjoy in expressing themselves has impressed him.
Dinesh Karthik is currently in the UK working as a broadcaster for the series between England and India.