The rise of quickies in Ranji Setup

An injury-free Varun Aaron would be a delight to Team India

India hasn’t been known to produce top-notch pace bowlers for as long as the game of cricket is known. Yes, there are the odd aberrations in the form of Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Kapil Dev and virtually, that’s it. However, not in keeping with this reputation that India has developed over the years, there has been a steady inflow of good quality quickies coming up the ranks, through excellent showing in the Ranji trophy and other domestic tournaments.

Strangely so, there is a dearth of good spin bowlers in the country at the moment, even as the number of talented pace bowlers continue to escalate. Part of the credit must go the BCCI for putting up strict guidelines in place and also a better rewarding mechanism. This has forced the domestic sides to go for outright victories by developing result-oriented pitches conducive to the quick men.

As India prepares to retain the World Cup in 2015, scheduled to take place in Australia and New Zealand, the concentration of the selectors has persistently been on testing out the various quick bowling options. The pitches Down Under have historically assisted the pace bowlers more than the spinners.

Moreover, what India badly craves for, is to have the luxury of bowlers who can bat, that too not just a bit but decent enough. It has infact become an evident necessity in the modern day context. Hence, considering that such a big tournament is at stake, and the future of Indian cricket in context, let’s check out a few of the highly gifted pace bowlers competing against one another to assert their contention for a place in the national side.

Varun Aaron

This tearaway quickie from Jharkhand made his debut for India back in 2011 against England in home conditions and impressed one and all with his raw pace and accuracy. He got the bowl to move off the deck superbly on placid, helpless wickets in the month of October. In one of the Ranji games, he clocked at 153 kilometers an hour.

I would rate him a much better bowler than the other speedster, Umesh Yadav, who’s equally talented but is too wayward and erring at times. What separates the two, by a fair margin is the accuracy in line and length. Hence, Aaron could be expected to be much more effective than Yadav, specially in limited overs cricket.

He recently returned from a long injury layoff to book his place straight into the national side touring New Zealand. His impetuous pace and probing line was good enough to harass the classy Mumbai’s batting lineup in one of the encounters, this Ranji season. The Indian team management has got to utilise him smartly so that he can remain fit for long and pay rich dividends to Team India.

Imtiaz Ahmed

Imtiaz is yet another upcoming swing bowler hailing from the state of Uttar Pradesh. He has 87 scalps (at 28.29) attested to his name in 26 FC games. In fact, he was the leading wicket taker for the UP side in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy season. His ability to hit the deck hard is bound to keep India in good stead, particularly in the fast and bouncy pitches of Australia and South Africa. He is 28 years old. Moreover, he’s a pinch hitter too, low down the order. Thus, it’s quite imperative that the national selectors don’t overlook the performances of this talented bowler like they have with the ageing Rajasthani pacer, Pankaj Singh.

Rishi Dhawan

Dhawan, apart from Stuart Binny, could be the answer to India’s quest for a genuine fast bowling all-rounder. He picked up 49 wickets this Ranji season, and continues to lead the wicket-takers chart even as his side, Himachal Pradesh, crashed out in the group stage of the tournament. Not just that, he has also smashed quick-fire half centuries on multiple occasions to get his side home. Given his stellar show in the current Ranji Trophy season, it turned out to be a bit of a surprise when he didn’t find a place in the Indian team touring New Zealand. Nevertheless, the stats back the fact that he is a value addition to any side and must be tested out in quick time at the international level.

Mohit Sharma

This Harayana lad impressed one and all in the sixth season of the IPL, picking up 20 wickets, playing for Chennai Super Kings. What makes his efforts even more significant is that he bowled most of his overs in the power play with the fielding restrictions in place. He can make the ball talk – the manifestation of which was well presented in the 4th ODI of the Zimbabwe tour – where he made the ball talk on a cold surface and notched up man of the match figures off 2/26 off 10 overs. He did fail in the lone opportunity in the Protean tour, but more of exposure will certainly sharpen up this clever customer.

Dhawal Kulkarni

Kulkarni is an experienced campaigner for the Ranji heavyweights, Mumbai, even at 25. He received his maiden Test call up as early as in 2009 for the New Zealand tour only to not find vacancy in the playing eleven. He has picked up an impressive 114 wickets in 34 first class games. Add to that, his batting average of just a tad below 30 and you’re talking of a very handy cricketer. He has been with Mumbai Indians since the inception of IPL and has delivered the goods quietly, whenever he’s got the opportunity.

Ishwar Pandey

Ishwar Pandey rose through the ranks to be selected in the side touring New Zealand, credit to his hard grind in the domestic circuit. This tall, lanky pacer has accounted for 131 wickets in 31 FC games at a very healthy average of 24.43. He, obviously being tall, is a hit-the-deck kind of a bowler, and his speeds range around the mid-130′s. Also, he can smoke a few way back in the stands, coming down the order.

Lalchand Rajpoot, the coach of India A side that toured South Africa earlier in the year, termed him as one of the finds of the tour, and rightly so given his good performances on amazingly flat decks. This Madhya Pradesh lad can be an ideal replacement to the consistently faltering Ishaant Sharma, given his height, of course, and more importantly, impeccable accuracy. He has been hailed for his ability to hit the good length spot constantly. The fans expect the same from him, given he gets a chance in the Kiwi land.