NEW DELHI, Dec 14: Indian bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad is confident his young new-ball bowlers can adapt quickly to bouncy Australian pitches after toiling on flat tracks in the home Test series win over Pakistan this week.

Prasad, the ex-India paceman, said the tour starting next week would push the players but the team were confident thanks to their recent wins and bowling consistency in varied conditions. “It is going to be a very challenging series Down Under,” Prasad said on Friday. “It will be an exciting competition and all the players will be pushed to the limit in terms of technique, tactics, mentally and physically.”

India leave on Monday for Australia to play in a four-Test series starting on Dec 26 followed by a one-day tri-series also featuring Sri Lanka.

India are on a high after a one-day and Test double over Pakistan but their pace attack is injury depleted. Skipper Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh are the spinners.

The pacy Shanthakumaran Sreesanth has a shoulder injury and Munaf Patel has been dropped due to a lack of sharpness.

Among the five chosen, only left-armers Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan have previously played in Australia while young left-arm R.P. Singh missed the Pakistan Tests through injury.

Ishant Sharma, 19, is two Tests old but took a five-wicket innings haul in the final Test while Pankaj Singh, 22, is uncapped, although their height could prove handy on Australia pitches.

“Our bowling is a bit inexperienced,” Prasad said “We might have played on flat tracks but I’m very confident we’ll be ready to adapt because they have done it before.

He added: “Both Ishant and Pankaj have got fantastic talent and lot of potential. They only have to work hard on fitness and be open to ideas.”

Prasad was appointed in April and the team have since won Test series in Bangladesh and England. Indian bowlers also shone in the Twenty20 World Championship win in South Africa in September.

“We’ve been talking about adaptability, that is our mantra,” he said. “We’ve shown a lot of adaptability in terms of pitch conditions, weather and playing against different teams.”

However, he said the lack of a gap between series was preventing injury recovery for fast bowlers with flat home pitches like those used against Pakistan making their life tougher.

“If we have to develop fast bowling then we need to look at the pitches as well,” he said. “People ask ‘why can’t we produce quick bowlers?’ How can we if the bowlers who want to bowl quick are bowling on flat wickets. They tend to reduce their pace after a game or two and rely on swing, movement,” he said.—Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....
Time to deliver
Updated 11 Nov, 2024

Time to deliver

Pakistan must display a serious commitment to climate change adaptation and mitigation at home.
Smaller government
11 Nov, 2024

Smaller government

THE IMF bailout programme has put the government under pressure to curtail its spending, especially current...
Unsafe inheritance
11 Nov, 2024

Unsafe inheritance

DESPITE regulations, the troubling practice of robbing women of their rightful inheritance — the culprits are ...