As the Indian team’s bowling coach, Bharat Arun was at the centre of the pace-bowling revolution in India. He oversaw the golden generation of fast bowling in Test cricket that gave India some of the most remarkable overseas wins. As he sat down with TOI to analyse India’s bowling attack for the England tour, he emphasised not dwelling on past glory. Excerpts from the conversation…What do you make of India’s bowling attack?It’s got great potential if you look at Arshdeep Singh. Akash Deep is a very good swing bowler. Prasidh Krishna is doing well. We have depth with two good fast-bowling all-rounders and three spin-bowling all-rounders.Among the main pacers, only Bumrah and Siraj have played Tests in England, and Bumrah will not be available for the entire series. How difficult is it to plan for a series like that when your premier bowler is not available for the entire series?I would like to look ahead. Yes, we enjoyed the services of Bumrah, Shami, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar, and Umesh Yadav. Instead of going to England saying Bumrah will not play all Tests, I see there is a challenge for the other bowlers to rally around him. If they bowl really well and keep Bumrah’s workload levels down, then he has a chance to play all five Tests. If he takes the brunt of the workload, then I’m afraid he will not be available for all matches.
How important is it to give this inexperienced attack a clear plan for the entire series to follow, like you did in Australia in 2020-21 where you didn’thave the senior bowlers?More than giving a plan for the entire series, I would look at it match to match because the conditions can vary in England. Also, England have announced the team only for the first match, so the team can also be different. It’s not only about having a good plan. It is also about preparing your bowlers to work towards that plan.You had a big influence on Siraj since his Hyderabad days. He has not had those big spells in Test cricket. He’s been more of a support bowler or a third pacer…It’s a great opportunity for Siraj. He’s got enough experience under his belt. I have seen him bowl some exceptional spells, like the one he bowled in the Lord’s Test, which we won last time. It’s time for Siraj to put his hand up and say, ‘I’m going to be the frontline bowler of our country’. He’s got the skill set. It’s now what kind of mindset he has that is going to be vital. He’s pretty smart. Siraj is someone who can be a captain’s delight who will give his all. It’s good to be aggressive, but controlling it is going to be key. He’s had a good IPL. He looked in good rhythm.How important is it not to get obsessed with a big batter like Joe Root when you plan for a series? Playing at this level, you’re bound to come across great batters. For these batters, the most important thing is the planning for the first 30 minutes. There can be vulnerable zones that all these batters do have. If the planning is right, then you sharpen the axe by execution at practice.The key to being successful in England is to be very consistent and accurate. There are two ways you could create pressure. One is by getting wickets. Secondly, make scoring as difficult as possible. You cannot be leaking runs all the time and expect to create pressure. Also, bowling in partnerships is important. How we hand over a spell, maintaining that pressure so that the next bowler who comes in is also bowling to sustain the pressure is going to be very important.How important is it for the batting to find a way to score 300-plus scores to give these bowlers a chance?It is an opportunity for KL Rahul to step in and say, ‘let me take the bulk of this responsibility. The onus is on me.’ The captain himself, Shubman Gill, is a very capable batter. Sai Sudharsan has County experience where he’s done very well. Rishabh is the most experienced batter. It will be interesting to see if they can now put their hand up. We lost a Southampton Test in 2018 because Moeen Ali out-bowled our spinners. How important is it to give the spinners as much a role as pacers in England?We have experience in Ravindra Jadeja. England don’t have too many left-handers. It’s going to be either Kuldeep or Jadeja depending on the conditions. Kuldeep, with his wrist spin, can trouble the Englishmen. They would look at Jadeja, who adds value with the bat. This is a relatively inexperienced batting lineup.There was a time when your management thought that Kuldeep could be the No. 1 Test bowler overseas. What do you make of him now?Earlier, the speeds at which he was bowling were not conducive when he was playing overseas. That is one aspect he’s worked really hard on. Kuldeep is ready now. He’s done exceptionally well whenever he has played at home. In England, there would definitely be some assistance to spinners in the second innings. That is where Kuldeep can be most dangerous.
