India has an outstanding crop of fast bowlers. But the cutting-edge attack may lose its sharpness shortly. That is because three of our top-level bowlers namely Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj are 30 plus in age. Most fast bowlers reach the end of the road by around age 35, some even before that. Not everyone is like James Anderson.
So this is the right time for India to build up a reserve pool from where the replacements will be found as soon as the seniors bow out of the picture.
A few days ago Shami celebrated his 34th birthday. He has had a great career in which he has scalped 229 victims in Test cricket and 195 in ODI matches. Among those who have praised him is Michael Holding who himself is considered one of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of cricket.
Holding quit the game at the age of 33. The effort that goes into bowling extremely fast, ball after ball for many years, takes a heavy toll on the back, shoulders and legs of the bowler. A few months ago Shami had to undergo surgery to repair a serious foot injury. Earlier Bumrah was down with a stress injury in his back and returned after a long layoff and rehab.
Siraj has been lucky that he has not had any severe injury so far but he too has crossed 30 this year and from now on must take even more care to keep his back and his joints in good condition.
Who could replace them?
Already a few hopeful young bowlers are waiting in the wings. Now the BCCI has to nurture them and see that their talent is not wasted. The emergence of these new faces is a welcome sign but the process of grooming them must be completed till they fill the shoes of their predecessors.
Names like Umran Malik, Mukesh Choudhary, Kuldeep Sen, Simarjeet Singh, Arzan Nagwaswalla, Avesh Khan, and Prasidh Krishna have already hit the headlines and made an impact on Indian cricket. Most fans know about the potential and prowess of these players.
Then there is Arshdeep Singh the tall Sikh bowler who has played in 52 T20 Internationals and taken 79 wickets for India in the T20 format. Arshdeep at times, is somewhat expensive but he is only 25 years old and if trained along the right lines, could become a match-winner in the next two or three years.
Mohsin has potential, says Sidhu
Mayank Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohsin Khan, and Yash Thakur performed well in the IPL 2024. According to former player Navjot Sidhu, Mohsin Khan has immense potential and could turn out to be the best in the lot.
The 26-year-old Mohsin Khan who is a strapping 6 feet 3 inches tall bowler from UP, plays for Lucknow SuperGiants and used to be in the Mumbai Indians lineup earlier. He has been coached by Badruddin Siddique, the coach who guided the fortunes of Mohammed Shami.
The coach first saw Mohsin when he was only 13 years old. At the time he did not have the required height and physique. Siddique was skeptical of the young lad’s chances of making it big. But within one year, Mohsin’s height suddenly increased to six feet and he began bowling with real venom. That was when the coach’s opinion changed.
Rayudu praised Mohsin
Ambati Rayudu was also full of praise for Mohsin. According to Rayudu, the tall Mohsin has the same approach as Wasim Akram of Pakistan. But the UP lad has to increase his speed more to be as effective as the Pakistan legend.
Navjot Sindhu said that Mohsin’s seam position is perfect. Mayank Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed are very gifted too but Mohsin is the number one according to Sidhu.
Next Gen is ready
India’s fast bowling attack has evolved over the last two decades. A new generation of fast bowlers has taken the spotlight and set fresh benchmarks. These bowlers have given more alternatives and choices to the Indian selectors. It is now up to the BCCI to groom them and help them to develop the speed and precision that is required for India to perform well at the top level of international cricket.
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