August 17, 2025 • 22 mins
This week on Game Time, hosts Amit Kamath, Mihir Vasavda and Vinayakk Mohanarangan are joined by The Indian Express’ Sandip G to discuss the debate around Bumrah's availability for long tours and the drying talent pool in the pace bowling department.
To read Sandip's analysis, click here: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/jasprit-bumrah-mohammed-siraj-india-vs-england-fast-bowling-10181589/
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
To read Sandip's analysis, click here: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/jasprit-bumrah-mohammed-siraj-india-vs-england-fast-bowling-10181589/
Produced by Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hello, and welcome to Express Sports podcast. You're listening to
Game Time with Mi Mihi Vasavada, Ahmid Kamat and Vinayaka
Year with us as always. Joining us today is Sandi g.
We are still not over the Test series that recently
concluded in England and there were so many threads, so
many talking points from that incredible series. We just thought
(00:25):
we'll give it one more short, one more episode and
talk about a couple of things which will it has
been debated quite a bit in the public sphere. One
of course, is about just Pied Bumra and him quote
unquote picking and choosing when to play, where to play,
and how much to play. And the other based on
(00:46):
an incredible piece that Sandhi Pier wrote on just the
depth of Indian fast bowling. It's something that you know,
we've been talking about for such a long time. India
did at one point have incredible firepower when it came
to pace us. Suddenly the park use that it might
not be the case or not might not be the
rosy picture.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
As we think it is.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So these two topics on our agenda today and uh,
well I go alphabetically, I guess amid First of all,
where do you stand on the old just play boomra
issue on him being well? As the argument goes selective
on when to play, I think every athlete basically has
to have that call, right. An athlete has to decide
(01:28):
when they want to play, when they want to skip,
because otherwise, what's the difference between an athlete and a
bonded labeler.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Right, So it's nobody's.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Saying that they should come and bowl on demand, day in,
day out, whenever there is a test match. In Sleep's copy,
there's a very fascinating bid that we will I'm sure
get into that. You know, the fast bowlers of the
West Indian phalanx of pace bowlers, they didn't do so
much in the gym, so maybe that's why their bodies
were more resilient to fast bowling. Maybe that's what's changed.
(01:58):
But then I think it's very fast debate to have
whether a cricketer or an athlete. I think that entitlement
comes in from fans like us looking at them and saying,
CERI eam millions chaper at, why shouldn't he play when
we want him to play. He's representing us, So he's
basically our employee, right, if our certain politicians can work
eighteen hours and twenty hours a day. Cricketer normn. I
(02:22):
think that's a very fascinating to build that way.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
It's a great point about how the West Indian fast
poolo is prepared back in the day and Sundy, of
course we will talk about that, but I kind of
play the Devil's advocated year. I mean, it's a weird
problem to have. I think when you are a coach
and the captain, and especially when you're going on a
long series like the one in England right now, is
this a good problem to have a or a bad problem?
(02:48):
If we were to classify problems in that way. The
Boomra issue especially, I.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
Mean, if there was a choice between not playing Boomra
and Boomra at least playing three Test massages, I would
take Boomra playing at least three Test message for any too,
all he needs is the three Test matches. I mean,
Boomra throughout this year, since he made his debut twenty eighteen,
I mean most of the series has played all Test matches,
whether you look at last tour of Australia or even
before that, the twenty nineteen Tour of Australia.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
The twenty twenty two tour of England.
Speaker 5 (03:12):
He played every Test match because of his peculiar physical conditions,
the kind of stress factors and injuries that he undergone,
I mean, and should I mean, I think he has
reached that stage when he can actually begin choose I mean,
which idea he shouldn't be doing that also because in
a long tour, if you know that you're for your
best fastballer I mean one of the best possible of
all time has a sort of a creaky body, I mean,
you have to take the precaution and it's the ambition
(03:34):
should be to preserve Boomera as much as we could.
I mean, if this helps us to, like say, Boomerah
play till his thirty six thirty seven, it it's super like.
I mean, we don't want to burn out kind of
a scenary with Boomera, whether it's physical or mental like
I mean, so we should preserve him. I mean that's
the way we should be going in the future as well,
like and give him rest, let him play like two
Test matches in a three Test series. So I mean,
(03:54):
just as for his physical conditions, this three Test match
thing was laid out even before he was speak because
like ceation with doctors their National Cariker Academy in the doctors,
the physios and trainers and coaches, so there was a
consensus on that.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
So I mean, even.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
If imagine if India World two two and leading this
were a decided also, I think he shouldn't have played
that much when it's.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Like those Golden Goose kind of uh scenario, right or
son Us Currew. I think it comes down to that.
I mean again, I kind of feel that there has
to be then clear cut communication at some level of
what is the problem that he's facing and what is
expected of him. Maybe internally within the cricket circle or
the cricket board it might be know it, but given
(04:38):
that there is so much scrutiny, there could be a
better job communicating the whole situation around Boombra, his health
as well as his availability. I mean, would communication then
be factor venak.
Speaker 6 (04:49):
I cannot believe that I'm actually saying this, but in
this case, I think the BCCI and the team management
were very clear from the word go right. It's not
something that we associated with them that the word transparency
in the past, but even before the tour began, we
were told that Boomra is not going to be there
for all tests. It's kind of important to divide the
(05:09):
voices in this debate, right, the fans have been behind Boomera.
Weirdly enough, there is this online section of noise that
has been around Boomra for a while.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Now.
Speaker 6 (05:20):
You know, we plays IPL, it doesn't show up then
for crucial matches, then he picks up injuries at don't
wanted times. Recently there has been this sort of noise
around him. So it's important to filter that out, right,
I mean, that is completely none of Boomra's problems, none
of India's problems, none of BCCs problems. Right, That noise
(05:40):
is going to be there anyway. It's the sort of
this former cricketers now joining into that debate that that
I think is a bit bit of a problem in
this scenario. Snulkaaskar on his India Today interview. I think
it's also important to point out that Son went on
this big grant of you know, I don't want work
load to be part of India's dictionary, and you know
(06:03):
you see siras doing it. You know, these guys, the
people on the borders, the Javans don't demand workload management.
Typical sort of old man rant that we come to
associate with him unfortunately. But later in the interview he
goes on to clarify, Oh no, no, no, boomra is
you know that's an injury issue, that's not a workload issue.
I just want to make sure that you know that's
(06:24):
not so. Are you even listening to yourself? Is what
I thought after listening to the whole interview. Then there
is some parttile, then there's more others, and then these
are these voices that are ifan't Patan I think was
one of the more saner recent voices that you know,
India must think beyond mumrah things like that. That's a
little bit worrying to me. I mean, why don't you
guys understand what is going on?
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Right?
Speaker 6 (06:44):
You've played the sport. First of all, If the workload
management was not a problem in your time, that doesn't
mean that it shouldn't be a problem now. The amount
of cricket they're playing is completely different from what it
was whatever years ago, so that comes into play, comes
into play, and this guy has not been picking and
choosing tests all his career. It's happening probably for the
(07:06):
first time, Like Sandip mentioned, I was just looking at numbers.
In Australia, just this last tour, he bowled the most
number of overs in Perth first innings, second most in
Adelaide first innings, then second most in pretty much Brisbane
both the innings, then both the innings of Melbourne he
bowled the most number of overs. Then in Sydney he
broke down right. It's almost like whenever he bowls, he
(07:27):
bolds pretty much the most number of overs in an innings.
For India, you have to take it to consideration and
not just the volume of overs he bowls. Whenever India
needs a wicket and he bowls like there are no
easy overs that Boomra bowls. Never in a Test match
that there is okay, there's a lull, you know, nothing
is happening. Let's give Boomra two overs just for time pass.
They say every time Indian need a week it every
(07:47):
time there's a new batter, every time there's a new
ball take and he has to come in, he has
to bowl those four or five quick overs of incisive
precision and whatever. And it's so many factors that people
don't seem to consider when deciding okay, why is he
deciding which test to play? That has been the biggest
sort of mystery for me in this whole debit. Sorry,
I went on a little bit too long, but I
just want to get that over.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
No.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I think it's a great point, but I again, I'll
play the devil'sad. Okay, I'll continue playing that. The one
thing I think where he and perhaps the team management
missed the trick was releasing him for the fifth Test,
right as the counter argument has gone that his presence
in the dressing room itself could be kind of helpful
for other bowlers, and this is not the first time
(08:28):
it has happened. I don't remember which series. Was it
the home series against New Zealand or I think it
must be that. That's also when he left the team
early because he wasn't available to play that Test match.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
I think it was the moon By Test. You guys
can correct me if I'm wrong. Just that bit right.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
The presence, Okay, I completely get it. You're not fit
enough to perhaps play the Test match, but your presence
can be of big help to younger pacers, and India
did have quite a few younger pacers in this tour,
and as well as in the previous Test matches that
we're referring to.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
So Sirah should now be the mentor now.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
I think.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Bowling.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
I mean Bumra not being in the team is good
for him. But like I mean, the first three years
of Bumra, Kerry never played at testing jam and he
was deliberately not played at Test in India because I mean
again Shastri and Bada knew the fragility of his action
his body, so they cotton bowled him. So like the
first series I think he played was against England interest
during the pandemic. So three years were imployment. That was
a kind of a dictach that he wouldn't play a
(09:22):
Test match India. I mean not because he didn't want it,
because a team management didn't want it. So I mean
the old thing is that Boomra is a special kind
of a ball of who we need to protect them
in imagine with an action, I mean bowlers with such
weird actions, how many of them have actually played around
will have long carriers like Lezid Malinga. How many Test
matches he played? He played thirty Test matches, thirty two
Test matches, two hundred wickets.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
That was it.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
Jeff Thompson a theatrical action. He played how many sixty
Test matches? That's all, Like I mean ten twelve s
he did sixty Test matches to two hundred wickets.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
That was also.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
We need to take all those things into account when
we talk about boom Ray and preserving him for a
particular series, particular test matches and basically preserve him like
a like a treasure.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
If we go back.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
To what the point you made right at the start,
right which Sigi mentioned in his story, which I think
we should share the link of it in our show notes,
I think it's changed how the bowlers are training as well.
And again I don't know if there is in scientific
evidence to back this, but what you said about the
West Indies player, I found that bit fascinating too, of
how the West Indian players of the past train compared
(10:19):
to how the past polos trained.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Right now, no so Mera.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
I think because when I went on this tangent and
he kind of broke down starts. I also want to
be the present Krishna to his mama Siraje, I guess
in this start business though, I wanted to point out
that you know Boomera basically in the last eight matches
that he played across the two series Australia and in England.
He's kind of bold to seventy three overs out of
(10:44):
India's and seven overs, which roughly comes up to what
twenty four point seven percent, right, so he's almost one
fourth of all the overs, even if he's missed two
Test matches, four Test matches, whatever it is. So, I mean,
it's a lot of burden that we are putting on
this one guy. Obviously, Sandibez mentioned how he's like a
(11:05):
very unique bowler in terms of his biomechanics, his bowling
action and things like that. But yeah, also in his
piece he mentions this fascinating anecdote where you know, current
Westernian legend mentioned how you know, back in the day,
they used to hit the nets and they used to
bowl with the same intensity that they would put in
the actual overs when they were bowling, and there was
(11:25):
barely any gym work, if there was any, so which
kind of helped them stay.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Attuned to the rigors of bowling in a sense.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Right now, he lamented that you know, fast bowlers are
maybe not doing too much running, not doing too much
bowling actually and doing too much Jimmy, which is probably
what his argument was, that it leads to a lot
of breakdowns or injury concerns.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
They not just the possiblism.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
Andy Roods said that but for some Ran Khan a
nation of Asian genetics, like Imran Khan was Makran.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
They also never.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
Used to work exhaustly in the gym, like remember, I
mean he hardly months. He was saying, like the first
time he went to the gym, so I jim was
when he was thirty thirty do something. So they were
all running like when that that was the way it
was in the eighties and seventies. I mean the training
was not systematic, does not organize and you run, you
ball in the nets, that was it. So, I mean
(12:19):
that was particular to that Meleeul. So I don't think
any bowler can survive just on boring in the nets
and running laps around the ground. Training has become scientific,
so then naturally, I mean you have to spend a
lot of time, and a lot of figids have actually
benefited from a lot of gymberk For example, Pat comings
bad Commins always talks about how jim work has helped
him become a better battle and georsh Hasel would.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
So maybe a bit of but what have I said?
And ballers need to put a lot of.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
Hours in the nets, which one of the Indian support
staff also lamented, like, I mean these days they're on
ball that much in the nets and just kind of
like conditions your muscle memory, which you know that wastballing
is a very complicated action. You're doing everything, You're doing
what a sprinter does, You're doing what a long jumper does,
You're doing what I mean. Basically, it's a multi athletic process,
like a very unnatural body positions you have like you
(13:03):
run straight and then you turn side down, then you
fling your arms, then you land. So it's a very
complicated athletic action, not a natural athletic action. So by nature,
fastball and can bring over a lot of energies. The
thing is that once you are right for mang age,
you brought a lot of hovers you run that conditions
your body to that workload. That was what Andy Roberts
was implying.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
So Sally, WIT's almost like competing in the decatalon but
all at the same time. Yeah, like not like separate events.
Speaker 5 (13:27):
Yeah, that is exactly what I remember one of those
you know India's formal physical trainers like Rams and one Stallus.
He was a sprinter basically and then he got into
conditioning fastballers because I mean not as the muscles and
I mean muscles can be built up, but bonds developing
there on good time. That also we need to take
into account and a lot of things genetics also. I
mean you see some of South Africa's fastballers like dail
Stain hardly got injured. There is a classic example of
(13:49):
natural athlete. I mean you also never went to the gym,
but he hardly missed a Test match. I mean the
first Test match he missed was like he was fine
for one game, that was it. He played some eighty
ninety Test matches at a stretch, which is great for
a fast unbelievable for a fast bowler. Never had to
change his action, never had to correct his action. I
mean by the time he was thirty thirty only dropped
a little bit of bass. He's never anyway, never the
quickest of fastballers. But apart from that, he is a
(14:11):
supreme athlete.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
It's fantastic this example.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
It reminds me of how javelin throwers also train not
much of jim work, balancing them both and also a
lot of the sport related exercises right throwing and flexibility
and all those things, and put a lot of effort
in jim and your flexibilities compromise to some level. Great
parallel a great example of how actually fast bowlers are
kind of multi discipline athletes within themselves.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Me so, because you mentioned javelin throwers, this reminded me
that there was this German javelin thrower called Andreas Hoffmann.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
He's one of those rare ones who's you know.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
Hit ninety he's crossed the ninety meter mark, but he's
never actually won like a gold medal in the World
championship for the Olympics.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Whereas the other two you know, have Roller and Wetter.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
I've actually gone to see him train, and the amount
of crazy things that you doing in the gym it
seemed like mind blowing. But then you look at the
fact that he's actually never won a medal in a
big tournament, and that is something that you were mentioning
right now.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
That you know a lot of guys like Niro.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Chopra, they don't really put too much maybe emphasis on
weightlifting and things. They do the basics, but they are
more focused on other things like flexibility, not so much
on building blocks of muscles and looking like and whatever
hercules stereotype.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
It's fascinating so many parallels between how these two set
of athletes travelin throwers and fast bowlers especially have in common.
We have done you know, in depth stories about this
in the past, but another link of how they train
and how they keep their bodies fit as well. We
moved to the second part, which is in a way
link because India is so heavily dependent on Boomera that
(15:50):
we kind of are also have dragged ourselves into this
fast bowling crisis of sorts.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
And he wrote the in depth piece on this.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
But before I come to you, when I just from
what we saw in this series, I know everyone's really
going gaga over what Krishna did or what Akash they did.
I mean, I'll be honest, they didn't really impress me
that much. If you put them on a flat track
somewhere in India, they'll be hammered day in, day out.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
At least conditions were better just intervention. I mean, the
tracks in England cannot be more flatorable. The tracks in
England are absolutely flatlan.
Speaker 6 (16:25):
At least a ball doesn't have to be changed every
and over.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
I don't think so.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
I mean in India we get better bawling nditions, actually
some of them at least, and there is some rivers. Yeah, yeah,
an st Bol has precocious sea movement initially, No.
Speaker 6 (16:37):
I honestly like I mean conditions that is also before
were going to pay the depth. I think just one
more point in the Boomrah debate is that if the
argument is that you should have played the final Test
because the series was still open, in the Manchester Test,
Boomra bowled a truckload of overs right thirty three over
setting bold India onred and fifty seven overs. It is
the first time ever in his career that he has
considered more than a hundred. And there were three days
(16:59):
break and you saw what happened with Stokes in between
the fourth and fifth Test. So like these factors people
don't consider, right, It's just that that part still annoys
me in the whole anyway. Yeah, so the death part.
Did you say here that people are going gaga over
presses and Kash, I actually don't.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Think they are.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
I mean short term memory, I mean what happened in
the Fifth Test has recertainly gotten some people excited exactly.
Speaker 6 (17:21):
Yeah, yeah, no, I think the Fifth Test especially I
think Akash. I mean India basically played with three paces
in that match and they had two spinners which they
didn't use at all in that whole the result that
was inspired by Siraj and a little bit by Press.
It is forgotten that India actually got their selections quite
wrong and they won the match despite of the management
and not because of it. That needs to be pointed out.
(17:43):
And the fact that you know, India broke down Boomera
in Australia and nearly could have broken down Siraj in
England by just bowling them into the ground is another
aspect that's probably not talked about enough. When you're talking
about players picking and choosing their workload, how workload should
not be part of BCS Indian Crickets Dictionary and random
exaggerated nonsense like that, you're not talking about what the
(18:05):
management is doing, what the selectors are doing, what the
coach is doing, which is I mean basically utilizing all
the resources that you have and just grinding them to
like not be sharp, like just becoming a blunt knife, right,
So that is not being talked about enough anyway. So
that's also part of the depth problem. I think in
the matches that Boomra played, he didn't get enough support
(18:25):
from the other end. Even Sirahs didn't have that sort
of impact that he would have liked to have when
in the matches that Boomra played. That is a problem
that I think Morning Marcle also mentioned in one of
the press conferences where when a Boomra is bowling, we
need the other end to be as effective, which didn't
quite happen in Manchester was one of the problems that
they faced, so as I think Santigi mentioned in his
piece as well, there was a period when you know,
(18:47):
you had a Boomera and a Shami or Ishant and
a Shami for example, and Bumra was not bowling. There
was a umage, there was a boobie. These guys could
all hunted packs, which I'm not sure is happening currently,
and that is probably down to the depth. And you know,
Boomra and Siaj are probably well ahead of the rest
of the pact that we have right now, and it's
a concern that needs to be addressed, that we need
(19:09):
a three or four solid pace bowling attack which can
always hunt in pairs. It's not one person like if
Bumra is playing, he's doing the bulk of it. If
Siraj is bowling, he's the one doing all of it.
I don't think that's the way forward. I think that
is a huge issue that needs to be addressed. It
cannot be one guy leading the charge. It cannot be
three bowlers. You're dependent on three paces in one entire
(19:31):
innings of a Test match that toward the end of
the series, you know, things like this should not be happening,
So there has to be a better planning around it,
which I think the Davisha's three combination doesn't get enough
credit for, probably for what they did with the bowling group,
especially the pace bowling group. Yah Sandiji can take off
on what they managed to achieve and what the future
is looking like at the moment.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
I mean back in the day like twenty sixteen, twenty
twenty one, you know we had some ten fast balls
going around quite decent. You have Boomra Chami field is
a very understated border, like you could plug on, keep
on playing in ten o vers twelve hours.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
You can bowl. I mean with the same kind of intensity.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
Then we are Dishan Sharma coming up, Mohmat Siraj was
not getting knock and nave Deep saying he was an
excellent baller unfortunately ruined by injuries. But till twenty twenty one,
you look at domestic cricket, there were a lot of
these names. At least they were promising one. So also
like Khalil Ahamad was young. Now he's little kind of
plattering eight to ten bowlers always to choose from Chadu, Taku,
Tina Draz and so these guys.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
But then now we don't even have names. That's a problem.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Like when you look at Rangis Auld there's one Visamarwaishak
who plays for balls early one thirties and combage. Of course,
I mean he's a much better bowler than what we
actually saw of him. That Test magic and is one guy.
I've seen him clocking one thirteen, one thirty four clicks.
I don't know what happened to him. Maybe he was
a little nervous, maybe he was snackled by some injury,
but he definitely can bowl. But there are another too
(20:48):
many names. And when you look at the most successful
fastballer was Jim and Kashmir. I mean who barely touches
hundred and twenty five kilometers, So there's nobody like. I
mean who when you look around, like, who can consistently
touched one thirty five? That's why govern fast tracked ran
into the Australia said he had play ten Test matches
at ten first class games before he played his first
Test match. I mean, so the select present the team
(21:10):
management and will naturally be drawn to pick whoever shows
some spot, some pace in the doms sic circuit. So
that pretty much tells you, Like Hashi Rana's inclusion and
Andrew Komboch I mean when Andrew kumboj you saw best
backup baller. I mean it tells much about India's bawling, dwindling,
fastballing death. I mean he can he can be groomed
into a yeah. And then then in between the bangalaes,
(21:31):
we picked up this guy called Kumar who was like
thirty cas he again he domestic.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
People claim he bowls one thirty five.
Speaker 5 (21:38):
And those fastballers that are come bowling one forty one
for fifty k's, you know they're not sustaining themselves in
the Red burg. Also like Umran ma leak or amying
these guys, you know, they just flicker and vanish.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
No, that's true.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Yeah, that's absolutely true, and I think it will be
by the time the next Test season comes along, it
will be one of the most closely observe the trends
of whether India does get enough fast bowlers. I think
that's all the time we have for today. Thanks again,
Sandep for joining us, Thanks Summit when I and thank
you all for listening. We will be back with the
(22:14):
new episode of Game Time next week.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
You were listening to Express Bords by the Indian Express.
Speaker 6 (22:21):
This week's show was edited and mixed by Seshawar and
produced by Mesha shang Bargev.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
If you like the show, then do subscribe to us
wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 6 (22:30):
You can also recommend the show to someone you think
we'll like it, share it with a friend or someone
in your family. It's the best way for people to
get to know about us. You can also tweet us
at Express Podcasts and write to us at podcasts at
Indian Express dot com.
Hello, and welcome to Express Sports podcast. You're listening to
Game Time with Mi Mihi Vasavada, Ahmid Kamat and Vinayaka
Year with us as always. Joining us today is Sandi g.
We are still not over the Test series that recently
concluded in England and there were so many threads, so
many talking points from that incredible series. We just thought
(00:25):
we'll give it one more short, one more episode and
talk about a couple of things which will it has
been debated quite a bit in the public sphere. One
of course, is about just Pied Bumra and him quote
unquote picking and choosing when to play, where to play,
and how much to play. And the other based on
(00:46):
an incredible piece that Sandhi Pier wrote on just the
depth of Indian fast bowling. It's something that you know,
we've been talking about for such a long time. India
did at one point have incredible firepower when it came
to pace us. Suddenly the park use that it might
not be the case or not might not be the
rosy picture.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
As we think it is.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So these two topics on our agenda today and uh,
well I go alphabetically, I guess amid First of all,
where do you stand on the old just play boomra
issue on him being well? As the argument goes selective
on when to play, I think every athlete basically has
to have that call, right. An athlete has to decide
(01:28):
when they want to play, when they want to skip,
because otherwise, what's the difference between an athlete and a
bonded labeler.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Right, So it's nobody's.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
Saying that they should come and bowl on demand, day in,
day out, whenever there is a test match. In Sleep's copy,
there's a very fascinating bid that we will I'm sure
get into that. You know, the fast bowlers of the
West Indian phalanx of pace bowlers, they didn't do so
much in the gym, so maybe that's why their bodies
were more resilient to fast bowling. Maybe that's what's changed.
(01:58):
But then I think it's very fast debate to have
whether a cricketer or an athlete. I think that entitlement
comes in from fans like us looking at them and saying,
CERI eam millions chaper at, why shouldn't he play when
we want him to play. He's representing us, So he's
basically our employee, right, if our certain politicians can work
eighteen hours and twenty hours a day. Cricketer normn. I
(02:22):
think that's a very fascinating to build that way.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
It's a great point about how the West Indian fast
poolo is prepared back in the day and Sundy, of
course we will talk about that, but I kind of
play the Devil's advocated year. I mean, it's a weird
problem to have. I think when you are a coach
and the captain, and especially when you're going on a
long series like the one in England right now, is
this a good problem to have a or a bad problem?
(02:48):
If we were to classify problems in that way. The
Boomra issue especially, I.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
Mean, if there was a choice between not playing Boomra
and Boomra at least playing three Test massages, I would
take Boomra playing at least three Test message for any too,
all he needs is the three Test matches. I mean,
Boomra throughout this year, since he made his debut twenty eighteen,
I mean most of the series has played all Test matches,
whether you look at last tour of Australia or even
before that, the twenty nineteen Tour of Australia.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
The twenty twenty two tour of England.
Speaker 5 (03:12):
He played every Test match because of his peculiar physical conditions,
the kind of stress factors and injuries that he undergone,
I mean, and should I mean, I think he has
reached that stage when he can actually begin choose I mean,
which idea he shouldn't be doing that also because in
a long tour, if you know that you're for your
best fastballer I mean one of the best possible of
all time has a sort of a creaky body, I mean,
you have to take the precaution and it's the ambition
(03:34):
should be to preserve Boomera as much as we could.
I mean, if this helps us to, like say, Boomerah
play till his thirty six thirty seven, it it's super like.
I mean, we don't want to burn out kind of
a scenary with Boomera, whether it's physical or mental like
I mean, so we should preserve him. I mean that's
the way we should be going in the future as well,
like and give him rest, let him play like two
Test matches in a three Test series. So I mean,
(03:54):
just as for his physical conditions, this three Test match
thing was laid out even before he was speak because
like ceation with doctors their National Cariker Academy in the doctors,
the physios and trainers and coaches, so there was a
consensus on that.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
So I mean, even.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
If imagine if India World two two and leading this
were a decided also, I think he shouldn't have played
that much when it's.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Like those Golden Goose kind of uh scenario, right or
son Us Currew. I think it comes down to that.
I mean again, I kind of feel that there has
to be then clear cut communication at some level of
what is the problem that he's facing and what is
expected of him. Maybe internally within the cricket circle or
the cricket board it might be know it, but given
(04:38):
that there is so much scrutiny, there could be a
better job communicating the whole situation around Boombra, his health
as well as his availability. I mean, would communication then
be factor venak.
Speaker 6 (04:49):
I cannot believe that I'm actually saying this, but in
this case, I think the BCCI and the team management
were very clear from the word go right. It's not
something that we associated with them that the word transparency
in the past, but even before the tour began, we
were told that Boomra is not going to be there
for all tests. It's kind of important to divide the
(05:09):
voices in this debate, right, the fans have been behind Boomera.
Weirdly enough, there is this online section of noise that
has been around Boomra for a while.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Now.
Speaker 6 (05:20):
You know, we plays IPL, it doesn't show up then
for crucial matches, then he picks up injuries at don't
wanted times. Recently there has been this sort of noise
around him. So it's important to filter that out, right,
I mean, that is completely none of Boomra's problems, none
of India's problems, none of BCCs problems. Right, That noise
(05:40):
is going to be there anyway. It's the sort of
this former cricketers now joining into that debate that that
I think is a bit bit of a problem in
this scenario. Snulkaaskar on his India Today interview. I think
it's also important to point out that Son went on
this big grant of you know, I don't want work
load to be part of India's dictionary, and you know
(06:03):
you see siras doing it. You know, these guys, the
people on the borders, the Javans don't demand workload management.
Typical sort of old man rant that we come to
associate with him unfortunately. But later in the interview he
goes on to clarify, Oh no, no, no, boomra is
you know that's an injury issue, that's not a workload issue.
I just want to make sure that you know that's
(06:24):
not so. Are you even listening to yourself? Is what
I thought after listening to the whole interview. Then there
is some parttile, then there's more others, and then these
are these voices that are ifan't Patan I think was
one of the more saner recent voices that you know,
India must think beyond mumrah things like that. That's a
little bit worrying to me. I mean, why don't you
guys understand what is going on?
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Right?
Speaker 6 (06:44):
You've played the sport. First of all, If the workload
management was not a problem in your time, that doesn't
mean that it shouldn't be a problem now. The amount
of cricket they're playing is completely different from what it
was whatever years ago, so that comes into play, comes
into play, and this guy has not been picking and
choosing tests all his career. It's happening probably for the
(07:06):
first time, Like Sandip mentioned, I was just looking at numbers.
In Australia, just this last tour, he bowled the most
number of overs in Perth first innings, second most in
Adelaide first innings, then second most in pretty much Brisbane
both the innings, then both the innings of Melbourne he
bowled the most number of overs. Then in Sydney he
broke down right. It's almost like whenever he bowls, he
(07:27):
bolds pretty much the most number of overs in an innings.
For India, you have to take it to consideration and
not just the volume of overs he bowls. Whenever India
needs a wicket and he bowls like there are no
easy overs that Boomra bowls. Never in a Test match
that there is okay, there's a lull, you know, nothing
is happening. Let's give Boomra two overs just for time pass.
They say every time Indian need a week it every
(07:47):
time there's a new batter, every time there's a new
ball take and he has to come in, he has
to bowl those four or five quick overs of incisive
precision and whatever. And it's so many factors that people
don't seem to consider when deciding okay, why is he
deciding which test to play? That has been the biggest
sort of mystery for me in this whole debit. Sorry,
I went on a little bit too long, but I
just want to get that over.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
No.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I think it's a great point, but I again, I'll
play the devil'sad. Okay, I'll continue playing that. The one
thing I think where he and perhaps the team management
missed the trick was releasing him for the fifth Test,
right as the counter argument has gone that his presence
in the dressing room itself could be kind of helpful
for other bowlers, and this is not the first time
(08:28):
it has happened. I don't remember which series. Was it
the home series against New Zealand or I think it
must be that. That's also when he left the team
early because he wasn't available to play that Test match.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
I think it was the moon By Test. You guys
can correct me if I'm wrong. Just that bit right.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
The presence, Okay, I completely get it. You're not fit
enough to perhaps play the Test match, but your presence
can be of big help to younger pacers, and India
did have quite a few younger pacers in this tour,
and as well as in the previous Test matches that
we're referring to.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
So Sirah should now be the mentor now.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
I think.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Bowling.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
I mean Bumra not being in the team is good
for him. But like I mean, the first three years
of Bumra, Kerry never played at testing jam and he
was deliberately not played at Test in India because I mean
again Shastri and Bada knew the fragility of his action
his body, so they cotton bowled him. So like the
first series I think he played was against England interest
during the pandemic. So three years were imployment. That was
a kind of a dictach that he wouldn't play a
(09:22):
Test match India. I mean not because he didn't want it,
because a team management didn't want it. So I mean
the old thing is that Boomra is a special kind
of a ball of who we need to protect them
in imagine with an action, I mean bowlers with such
weird actions, how many of them have actually played around
will have long carriers like Lezid Malinga. How many Test
matches he played? He played thirty Test matches, thirty two
Test matches, two hundred wickets.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
That was it.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
Jeff Thompson a theatrical action. He played how many sixty
Test matches? That's all, Like I mean ten twelve s
he did sixty Test matches to two hundred wickets.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
That was also.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
We need to take all those things into account when
we talk about boom Ray and preserving him for a
particular series, particular test matches and basically preserve him like
a like a treasure.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
If we go back.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
To what the point you made right at the start,
right which Sigi mentioned in his story, which I think
we should share the link of it in our show notes,
I think it's changed how the bowlers are training as well.
And again I don't know if there is in scientific
evidence to back this, but what you said about the
West Indies player, I found that bit fascinating too, of
how the West Indian players of the past train compared
(10:19):
to how the past polos trained.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Right now, no so Mera.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
I think because when I went on this tangent and
he kind of broke down starts. I also want to
be the present Krishna to his mama Siraje, I guess
in this start business though, I wanted to point out
that you know Boomera basically in the last eight matches
that he played across the two series Australia and in England.
He's kind of bold to seventy three overs out of
(10:44):
India's and seven overs, which roughly comes up to what
twenty four point seven percent, right, so he's almost one
fourth of all the overs, even if he's missed two
Test matches, four Test matches, whatever it is. So, I mean,
it's a lot of burden that we are putting on
this one guy. Obviously, Sandibez mentioned how he's like a
(11:05):
very unique bowler in terms of his biomechanics, his bowling
action and things like that. But yeah, also in his
piece he mentions this fascinating anecdote where you know, current
Westernian legend mentioned how you know, back in the day,
they used to hit the nets and they used to
bowl with the same intensity that they would put in
the actual overs when they were bowling, and there was
(11:25):
barely any gym work, if there was any, so which
kind of helped them stay.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Attuned to the rigors of bowling in a sense.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Right now, he lamented that you know, fast bowlers are
maybe not doing too much running, not doing too much
bowling actually and doing too much Jimmy, which is probably
what his argument was, that it leads to a lot
of breakdowns or injury concerns.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
They not just the possiblism.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
Andy Roods said that but for some Ran Khan a
nation of Asian genetics, like Imran Khan was Makran.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
They also never.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
Used to work exhaustly in the gym, like remember, I
mean he hardly months. He was saying, like the first
time he went to the gym, so I jim was
when he was thirty thirty do something. So they were
all running like when that that was the way it
was in the eighties and seventies. I mean the training
was not systematic, does not organize and you run, you
ball in the nets, that was it. So, I mean
(12:19):
that was particular to that Meleeul. So I don't think
any bowler can survive just on boring in the nets
and running laps around the ground. Training has become scientific,
so then naturally, I mean you have to spend a
lot of time, and a lot of figids have actually
benefited from a lot of gymberk For example, Pat comings
bad Commins always talks about how jim work has helped
him become a better battle and georsh Hasel would.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
So maybe a bit of but what have I said?
And ballers need to put a lot of.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
Hours in the nets, which one of the Indian support
staff also lamented, like, I mean these days they're on
ball that much in the nets and just kind of
like conditions your muscle memory, which you know that wastballing
is a very complicated action. You're doing everything, You're doing
what a sprinter does, You're doing what a long jumper does,
You're doing what I mean. Basically, it's a multi athletic process,
like a very unnatural body positions you have like you
(13:03):
run straight and then you turn side down, then you
fling your arms, then you land. So it's a very
complicated athletic action, not a natural athletic action. So by nature,
fastball and can bring over a lot of energies. The
thing is that once you are right for mang age,
you brought a lot of hovers you run that conditions
your body to that workload. That was what Andy Roberts
was implying.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
So Sally, WIT's almost like competing in the decatalon but
all at the same time. Yeah, like not like separate events.
Speaker 5 (13:27):
Yeah, that is exactly what I remember one of those
you know India's formal physical trainers like Rams and one Stallus.
He was a sprinter basically and then he got into
conditioning fastballers because I mean not as the muscles and
I mean muscles can be built up, but bonds developing
there on good time. That also we need to take
into account and a lot of things genetics also. I
mean you see some of South Africa's fastballers like dail
Stain hardly got injured. There is a classic example of
(13:49):
natural athlete. I mean you also never went to the gym,
but he hardly missed a Test match. I mean the
first Test match he missed was like he was fine
for one game, that was it. He played some eighty
ninety Test matches at a stretch, which is great for
a fast unbelievable for a fast bowler. Never had to
change his action, never had to correct his action. I
mean by the time he was thirty thirty only dropped
a little bit of bass. He's never anyway, never the
quickest of fastballers. But apart from that, he is a
(14:11):
supreme athlete.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
It's fantastic this example.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
It reminds me of how javelin throwers also train not
much of jim work, balancing them both and also a
lot of the sport related exercises right throwing and flexibility
and all those things, and put a lot of effort
in jim and your flexibilities compromise to some level. Great
parallel a great example of how actually fast bowlers are
kind of multi discipline athletes within themselves.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Me so, because you mentioned javelin throwers, this reminded me
that there was this German javelin thrower called Andreas Hoffmann.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
He's one of those rare ones who's you know.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
Hit ninety he's crossed the ninety meter mark, but he's
never actually won like a gold medal in the World
championship for the Olympics.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Whereas the other two you know, have Roller and Wetter.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
I've actually gone to see him train, and the amount
of crazy things that you doing in the gym it
seemed like mind blowing. But then you look at the
fact that he's actually never won a medal in a
big tournament, and that is something that you were mentioning
right now.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
That you know a lot of guys like Niro.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
Chopra, they don't really put too much maybe emphasis on
weightlifting and things. They do the basics, but they are
more focused on other things like flexibility, not so much
on building blocks of muscles and looking like and whatever
hercules stereotype.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
It's fascinating so many parallels between how these two set
of athletes travelin throwers and fast bowlers especially have in common.
We have done you know, in depth stories about this
in the past, but another link of how they train
and how they keep their bodies fit as well. We
moved to the second part, which is in a way
link because India is so heavily dependent on Boomera that
(15:50):
we kind of are also have dragged ourselves into this
fast bowling crisis of sorts.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
And he wrote the in depth piece on this.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
But before I come to you, when I just from
what we saw in this series, I know everyone's really
going gaga over what Krishna did or what Akash they did.
I mean, I'll be honest, they didn't really impress me
that much. If you put them on a flat track
somewhere in India, they'll be hammered day in, day out.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
At least conditions were better just intervention. I mean, the
tracks in England cannot be more flatorable. The tracks in
England are absolutely flatlan.
Speaker 6 (16:25):
At least a ball doesn't have to be changed every
and over.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
I don't think so.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
I mean in India we get better bawling nditions, actually
some of them at least, and there is some rivers. Yeah, yeah,
an st Bol has precocious sea movement initially, No.
Speaker 6 (16:37):
I honestly like I mean conditions that is also before
were going to pay the depth. I think just one
more point in the Boomrah debate is that if the
argument is that you should have played the final Test
because the series was still open, in the Manchester Test,
Boomra bowled a truckload of overs right thirty three over
setting bold India onred and fifty seven overs. It is
the first time ever in his career that he has
considered more than a hundred. And there were three days
(16:59):
break and you saw what happened with Stokes in between
the fourth and fifth Test. So like these factors people
don't consider, right, It's just that that part still annoys
me in the whole anyway. Yeah, so the death part.
Did you say here that people are going gaga over
presses and Kash, I actually don't.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Think they are.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
I mean short term memory, I mean what happened in
the Fifth Test has recertainly gotten some people excited exactly.
Speaker 6 (17:21):
Yeah, yeah, no, I think the Fifth Test especially I
think Akash. I mean India basically played with three paces
in that match and they had two spinners which they
didn't use at all in that whole the result that
was inspired by Siraj and a little bit by Press.
It is forgotten that India actually got their selections quite
wrong and they won the match despite of the management
and not because of it. That needs to be pointed out.
(17:43):
And the fact that you know, India broke down Boomera
in Australia and nearly could have broken down Siraj in
England by just bowling them into the ground is another
aspect that's probably not talked about enough. When you're talking
about players picking and choosing their workload, how workload should
not be part of BCS Indian Crickets Dictionary and random
exaggerated nonsense like that, you're not talking about what the
(18:05):
management is doing, what the selectors are doing, what the
coach is doing, which is I mean basically utilizing all
the resources that you have and just grinding them to
like not be sharp, like just becoming a blunt knife, right,
So that is not being talked about enough anyway. So
that's also part of the depth problem. I think in
the matches that Boomra played, he didn't get enough support
(18:25):
from the other end. Even Sirahs didn't have that sort
of impact that he would have liked to have when
in the matches that Boomra played. That is a problem
that I think Morning Marcle also mentioned in one of
the press conferences where when a Boomra is bowling, we
need the other end to be as effective, which didn't
quite happen in Manchester was one of the problems that
they faced, so as I think Santigi mentioned in his
piece as well, there was a period when you know,
(18:47):
you had a Boomera and a Shami or Ishant and
a Shami for example, and Bumra was not bowling. There
was a umage, there was a boobie. These guys could
all hunted packs, which I'm not sure is happening currently,
and that is probably down to the depth. And you know,
Boomra and Siaj are probably well ahead of the rest
of the pact that we have right now, and it's
a concern that needs to be addressed, that we need
(19:09):
a three or four solid pace bowling attack which can
always hunt in pairs. It's not one person like if
Bumra is playing, he's doing the bulk of it. If
Siraj is bowling, he's the one doing all of it.
I don't think that's the way forward. I think that
is a huge issue that needs to be addressed. It
cannot be one guy leading the charge. It cannot be
three bowlers. You're dependent on three paces in one entire
(19:31):
innings of a Test match that toward the end of
the series, you know, things like this should not be happening,
So there has to be a better planning around it,
which I think the Davisha's three combination doesn't get enough
credit for, probably for what they did with the bowling group,
especially the pace bowling group. Yah Sandiji can take off
on what they managed to achieve and what the future
is looking like at the moment.
Speaker 5 (19:51):
I mean back in the day like twenty sixteen, twenty
twenty one, you know we had some ten fast balls
going around quite decent. You have Boomra Chami field is
a very understated border, like you could plug on, keep
on playing in ten o vers twelve hours.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
You can bowl. I mean with the same kind of intensity.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
Then we are Dishan Sharma coming up, Mohmat Siraj was
not getting knock and nave Deep saying he was an
excellent baller unfortunately ruined by injuries. But till twenty twenty one,
you look at domestic cricket, there were a lot of
these names. At least they were promising one. So also
like Khalil Ahamad was young. Now he's little kind of
plattering eight to ten bowlers always to choose from Chadu, Taku,
Tina Draz and so these guys.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
But then now we don't even have names. That's a problem.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
Like when you look at Rangis Auld there's one Visamarwaishak
who plays for balls early one thirties and combage. Of course,
I mean he's a much better bowler than what we
actually saw of him. That Test magic and is one guy.
I've seen him clocking one thirteen, one thirty four clicks.
I don't know what happened to him. Maybe he was
a little nervous, maybe he was snackled by some injury,
but he definitely can bowl. But there are another too
(20:48):
many names. And when you look at the most successful
fastballer was Jim and Kashmir. I mean who barely touches
hundred and twenty five kilometers, So there's nobody like. I
mean who when you look around, like, who can consistently
touched one thirty five? That's why govern fast tracked ran
into the Australia said he had play ten Test matches
at ten first class games before he played his first
Test match. I mean, so the select present the team
(21:10):
management and will naturally be drawn to pick whoever shows
some spot, some pace in the doms sic circuit. So
that pretty much tells you, Like Hashi Rana's inclusion and
Andrew Komboch I mean when Andrew kumboj you saw best
backup baller. I mean it tells much about India's bawling, dwindling,
fastballing death. I mean he can he can be groomed
into a yeah. And then then in between the bangalaes,
(21:31):
we picked up this guy called Kumar who was like
thirty cas he again he domestic.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
People claim he bowls one thirty five.
Speaker 5 (21:38):
And those fastballers that are come bowling one forty one
for fifty k's, you know they're not sustaining themselves in
the Red burg. Also like Umran ma leak or amying
these guys, you know, they just flicker and vanish.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
No, that's true.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Yeah, that's absolutely true, and I think it will be
by the time the next Test season comes along, it
will be one of the most closely observe the trends
of whether India does get enough fast bowlers. I think
that's all the time we have for today. Thanks again,
Sandep for joining us, Thanks Summit when I and thank
you all for listening. We will be back with the
(22:14):
new episode of Game Time next week.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
You were listening to Express Bords by the Indian Express.
Speaker 6 (22:21):
This week's show was edited and mixed by Seshawar and
produced by Mesha shang Bargev.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
If you like the show, then do subscribe to us
wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 6 (22:30):
You can also recommend the show to someone you think
we'll like it, share it with a friend or someone
in your family. It's the best way for people to
get to know about us. You can also tweet us
at Express Podcasts and write to us at podcasts at
Indian Express dot com.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.