Wasim Akram's comment about the Indian pace bowlers being ‘soft' has some merit. The great left-armer from the past has cited the examples of Irfan Pathan, S. Sreesanth and R.P. Singh who have all been seeking rhythm and form.
The pace of Irfan has dropped sharply, the injury-prone Sreesanth is breaking down on tours and R.P. Singh has largely struggled. While Ishant Sharma has shown signs of improvement, he is still a shadow of the menacing bowler he was in Australia in 2007-08.
There are other pacemen such as V.R.V. Singh, considered promising by former India coach Greg Chappell, who have almost completely disappeared from the radar.
The rather dramatic slump in speed and fortunes is worrying; these young men should have actually become stronger.
LONG-TERM ANSWERS
Over the last two years, India has tried out more than 15 pacemen in the various forms of the game. The side still seeks long-term answers.
Spearhead Zaheer Khan is battling fitness concerns and he is not getting any younger either. That old warhorse Ashish Nehra takes the new ball for India in the abbreviated forms of the game does not reflect well on the depth in the Indian pace bowling ranks.
Munaf Patel bowled well against the Kiwis here on Wednesday but then he hardly gets a game these days. Earlier, he could consistently bowl around the 140 kmph mark. Now, he has turned a medium pacer.
However, Akram's remarks appeared to have fired up the Indian pace pack in the last league game of the Micromax ODI tri-series.
None more that the often unsung Praveen Kumar. He is a pure swing bowler, a rare breed in contemporary cricket.
Apart from an off game in the return match against Sri Lanka — there was nothing left in the duel really after the Indian batting's spectacular collapse — the clever bowler has tested the batsmen with his craft.
Praveen has used the strong breeze blowing across the ground. He has tormented the batsmen with his movement.
WHIPPY ACTION
Praveen's flexible wrist and whippy action disguise his release. Often, the batsmen are unable to pick the direction of the swing.
He possesses a lovely away going delivery, can bring the ball in sharply without any noticeable change in action. Praveen uses the crease capably, harnesses the angles, and changes his pace.
The batsmen look for swing and the ball straightens; they end up playing either inside or outside the line. This is precisely why Praveen wins a lot of leg-before decisions.
He is persistent, has control over his swing and bowls in the right areas. The batsman is compelled to play.
This has been a tournament when Praveen has used the new ball to telling effect. He has eight wickets in four matches at 17.62. Importantly, he was buzzing in the crucial last league game against the Kiwis.
Praveen has performed strongly on the big occasions. In the Commonwealth Bank tri-series down under in 2008, Praveen delivered in a crunch game for India — against Sri Lanka at Hobart.
In fact, that was also a duel where he troubled the Sri Lankan batsmen with rather skiddish short-pitched deliveries.
'BREAKTHROUGH' TOURNAMENT
His spell — four for 31 — triggered an Indian revival in the competition. Dhoni's men progressed to a historic maiden triumph in the gruelling Australian ODI tri-series.
This was a ‘breakthrough' tournament for Praveen; he scalped 10 batsmen in just four games at 17.62 with two four wicket hauls.
There is belief, a rather flawed one, that Praveen can only bowl with the new ball. He has prised out batsman at all stages for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy and can seam the ball effectively as well. It has to be comprehended that he is someone who relies more on movement than pace.
On the 1986 tour of England, Madan Lal was summoned from minor counties to play for India in the Test at Leeds although Manoj Prabhakar, a swing bowler who would have relished the conditions, was a part of the team.
The decision could have destroyed Prabhakar's confidence. However, the paceman came back with resolve for a successful Test career. A similar bowler, there is no reason why Praveen should not be considered for Tests.
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