The Curious Case of Praveen Kumar

For a bowler whose fastest delivery does not cross the 135 KMPH barrier to be called even a medium fast bowler is an overstatement, but for him to be considered the most potent offensive bowling option of an international side is even more unusual. Unless one has the prodigal swinging abilities and combative street-smartness of a Praveen Kumar, these are unlikely epitaphs to earn and difficult reputations to protect. For someone who has gained most of his exposure from T20 matches and the IPL to breach into Test cricket and be labelled unplayable by unsympathetic commentators, Praveen Kumar has indeed achieved a lot in a short span of time. So much so that in the absence of Zaheer Khan, it is not the heir apparent Ishant Sharma that earns the captain’s trust but this relative rookie who gets the ball tossed his way during hours of crises. Perhaps it is only befitting that when the world has decided to crucify the IPL for its derisive effects on Indian cricket a product of the same system is finding acceptance in not only the ODIs but Test matches as well.

So what works for this diminutive cricketer? The answer lies in his ability to generate swing in the most unhelpful of situations. A look at his domestic record will give a fair idea as to how this skill has served him so well in the dust bowl pitches of India.

Type	Mat	Inns	Balls	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
First-class	44	82	10129	199	8/68	10/160	23.44	2.76	50.8	12	14	1
List A	105		5156	151	5/32	5/32	26.34	4.62	34.1	4	2	0

Averages of 23 and 26 in Ranji Trophy and Championship matches respectively for a bowler who does not spin are worth an applause. It takes a smart cricketer to understand that bowling express in India is not likely to translate much into dismissals as the sheer deadness of the pitches nullifies whatever force may have been given to a delivery by the bowler. Movement off the pitch is also minimal thanks to the extreme fondness of Indian curators towards inflicting baldness. That leaves just one trick with the bowler to get a wicket, moving the ball in the air. Kumar must have realized this early in his career as he firmly focuses on bowling those banana swinger with no regards to lack of pace that subjected him to much criticism at the beginning of his international career. Given the nature of pitches that he has shaped his technique on, it is unwise of anyone to gainsay the sacrifice of speed for enhanced swing. In a horses for courses world, “whatever works” must be the philosophy to adhere to.

Swing bowling is no less an art form than Spin bowling which often gets venerated as more intellectual. Be it the normal In and Out swingers or the relatively modern Reverse swing, the recipe for these lethal concoctions are not for amateurs to master. It requires a unique combination of grip, wrist position, study of wind direction,  a reading of the moisture in air, ball conditioning and controlled pace to generate a particular movement in the flight path of the ball. A reverse swing cannot be delivered unless the ball is delivered at a high pace while an in swinger might come about too early to be effective if the pace is above a threshold. Those beautiful parabolas that we saw being drawn on the pitch by past masters like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younus and present performers like Jimmy Anderson or Zaheer Khan are the results of some very meticulous planning and sharp execution by the bowler. But no one delivers them with the ease of Praveen Kumar. Indeed, if he delivered those curves on the dry and lifeless Indian pitches, he must have mastered the fundamentals.

It is highly unlikely to expect India to produce tearaway fast bowlers of the Brett Lee Class any time soon. Any such bowler who may come up the ranks by virtue of domestic success would most likely have an inflated record fuelled in no small measures by the traditional frailty of Indian batsmen against genuine fast bowling. The likelihood of such bowlers finding success against more conditioned international batsmen will much depend on their ability to mix aggression with guile. In the backdrop of this, a military medium pacer like Praveen Kumar is an ideal fulcrum for he can bowl long miserly spells as he has already shown and cause corrosive damage by moving the ball like a pendulum. It will also be much wise if the coaching staff focuses' on his batting skills. He certainly has a talent for slogs but if that could be developed into a more consistent skill, India could earn an all rounder in Tests that they so badly miss. These are still early days for this cricketer but going by his exploits, we might be witnessing the birth of a true match winner.