CHENNAI: ‘IF the heat doesn’t get you, spin will.’ Teams visiting Chennai for Ranji Trophy games often come prepared for this. It has traditionally been the strength of the state known for producing experts of this craft. Several of them excelled at the international and national level. So when in Tamil Nadu, opponents get ready to face three, sometimes four, spinners. Flip side of this legacy is a nonexistent supply chain of medium-pacers. Just six of Tamil Nadu’s 30 internationals specialised in this variety. Lakshmipathy Balaji is the only one who made a mark at the top level.
He remains the lone Tamil Nadu speedster to play Test cricket in the last 30-odd years. Of late, hardly anybody has made it to even the South Zone side. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association’s (TNCA) decision to hire Kerala quick Sandeep Warrier is an acknowledgement of this paucity of resources. It’s a vacuum in a system hailed as more organised than those in other parts of the country. Infrastructure, incentives for cricketers and one of India’s best club competition — Tamil Nadu ticks important boxes.
The state has also produced a number of India players in the last few years. There are six in the present lot to have worn the national shirt. Despite that and the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, fast bowlers remain fringe characters. Climate, pitches, absence of role models and a deep-rooted reluctance to groom this breed are seen as some of the reasons. “It’s the toughest part of cricket, the hard work to become a fast bowler. In Tamil Nadu, we lack that iconic figure who would drive youngsters to take up fast bowling. You need trendsetters because kids follow what they see. There are so many idols for spinners. But we only have fast bowlers who came and disappeared.
That’s one reason,” says Balaji. “Weather and pitches is another. For the biomechanics of fast bowling, conditions in Chennai and Tamil Nadu are not conducive. Bowling quick requires athleticism and a certain kind of rawness. That’s difficult to sustain at 45 degrees in the summer. Pitches are also not suited for this kind of bowling. That makes the natural habitat of our cricketers discouraging for fast bowlers,” adds Balaji, who thinks the search for quicks should start in the districts. The TNCA first division league is held in high esteem. Presence of outstation players makes it almost an equivalent of first-class cricket. Cricketers are well paid, clubs provide quality facilities and matches are held in proper grounds, unlike the makeshift and smaller arrangements in most other states.
But pitches almost as a rule offer nothing to fast bowlers. “Pitches have been like this since I can remember. Barring the odd occasion, I hardly recall a Ranji match where we played three fast bowlers during our days,” says TA Sekar, who represented India in the eighties, before going on to become chief coach at the Pace Foundation. “I even shared the new ball with (Krishnamachari) Srikkanth! I saw a promising B Kalyansundaram opt for a career in engineering after he realised being a fast bowler here had no future.” Sekar doesn’t consider climate to be a factor and attributes this to an obsession for Plan A.
“I haven’t seen much of Tamil Nadu cricket of late, but earlier there was a reluctance to encourage fast bowlers, starting from the club level. Of course we had great spinners, but the dependence on spin was too much. There were no coaches for us. Nobody taught me how to grip the ball. Gradually, this became the mindset despite the support system getting better. At the Pace Foundation, one rarely found a local bowler.” TNCA is not averse to changes. Protecting its league played in the longer format, it runs its T20 Premier League with suitable aplomb. Developing fast bowlers is something it has not paid attention to. It has funds and support of some of India’s top sports science/ medicine centres. Perhaps, it’s time for an approach review, unless authorities embrace importing talent for the senior team as a solution.
TN MEDIUM-PACERS WHO MADE INDIA CUT