'Lillee behind rise of pacers'
The MRF Pace Academy is synonymous with fast bowling in India and Aussie pace legend Dennis Lillee has been a regular at the centre in Chennai. Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Zaheer Khan are some of the bigger names who have benefited from the elaborate training methods at the academy while Sri Lankan Chaminda Vaas, Aussie speedster Brett Lee and New Zealand’s James Franklyn are the others to have made use of the facilities here at some point in their careers.
Cricketnext.com caught up with former India paceman TA Sekhar, the man behind the smooth running of the academy. Sekhar talked in detail about how pace bowlers are being nurtured at the academy, how we can produce more of the ilk and the importance of technique.
Sekhar, who played two Tests and four ODIs for India, also told us why he thought Kapil Dev is an all-time great.
Cricketnext.com: What is the reason for India producing more fast bowlers in the recent past?
TA Sekhar: The system has started working and people are aware of what fast bowling is all about. You go around the country you will see everyone is talking about front-on, side-on and semi-open bowling actions. Youngsters understand the technicalities of fast bowing to a great extent. The growth will be higher with more fast pitches in the country.
India is a land of spinners but today India has got quality fast bowlers. Nowadays, four fast bowlers being part of a squad is common while four spinners in a squad are not seen any more. Nearly 10 fast bowlers from the MRF Pace Foundation have played for India from 1999 to 2007 and many are still in the reckoning.
Cricketnext.com: There were times when India was way behind other countries as far as fast bowling was concerned. What has the role of the MRF Pace Academy been in bringing about the changes?
TA Sekhar: It took nearly 20 years for us to propagate the correct way of fast bowling. In the late 1980s, every one used to say that India could not produce bowlers who could bowl beyond 130 km per hour. But today we have bowlers who touch 140 km per hour.
Cricketnext.com: Do your trainees continue to follow your advice even after leaving the academy?
TA Sekhar: Our coaches need to learn much more about the art of fast bowling. For instance, boys graduate from our academy and then go back to their respect states where the state coaches invariably make changes to their actions. At times, coaches merely advise the fast bowlers to maintain line and length and forgot about their natural ability to swing the ball. The bowlers lose their rhythm and also whatever they have learnt here.
Cricketnext.com: How can you produce bowlers with higher speeds?
TA Sekhar: We may not have produced bowlers like Brett Lee or Shoaib Akhtar but we can continue to produce bowlers who are able to bowl between130 kmph to 140 kmph. We have created awareness about fast bowling, which was not there 15- 20 years back. It was alien to Indian players. Today, there is demand for genuine fast bowlers to represent India.
Cricketnext.com: Is there any system in the BCCI to talent hunt and nurture potential bowlers?
TA Sekhar: I cannot speak for the BCCI but we at MRF have a proper system to identify talents in every nook and corner of our country. Today we have under-19 boys who are capable of bowling really fast but they need to be nurtured. Usually, we invite 30 to 40 boys and train them for about a fortnight and then Dennis Lillee selects the 10-12 best ones for a one-year training programme.
Cricketnext.com: Do you co-ordinate with the BCCI and what does it expect from you?
TA Sekhar: I cannot speak about the role of the BCCI in this. But I was asked by a BCCI official to make the MRF academy a full-fledged bowling academy for fast, medium and spin bowlers. It was not in our scheme of things. It is rather difficult to handle such a huge academy. Perhaps, a professional cricketer like Anil Kumble will be the ideal person for a spin academy.
Cricketnext.com: Dennis Lillee must have contributed a lot towards the academy.
TA Sekhar: Dennis carved a niche as the best in the business. He has not only helped India produce fast bowlers but every Board in the cricketing world is looking forward to Lillee’s expertise. We have a Memorandum of Understanding ( MOU) with the Australian Cricket Board, Sri Lanka and some of the counties in England. Now the West Indies Board is keen to sign an MOU.
Cricketnext.com: The academy has been helping foreign bowlers including who have been playing for their respective countries. Have they credited MRF after their success?
TA Sekhar: Pakistan bowler Mohammad Asif was in India and has gone on record saying that he learnt a lot at our academy and with Dennis Lillee after just a 12-day stint. Jermaine Lawson too came here for corrective measures on his bowling action and was able to get back to business after spending just a week here.
Cricketnext.com: The Sri Lankan Board was the first to enroll here. Do you have an MOU with them too?
TA Sekhar: Yes. I am also a bowling consultant for Sri Lanka. Chaminda Vaas sent me a mail a couple of days ago. He wanted to know whether I have seen any change in his bowling. He sought my advise as he was not able to get his in-swingers to right handed batsmen. It also had happened to him once during their tour to India. Tom Moody wanted me to analyse Vaas’s bowling.
We took videos of his run-up, action and delivery. The next day, I gave corrective methods to Vaas and showed the video analysis to Moody. Vaas adhered to instructions given to him and took five wickets. Likewise, Dilhara Fernando was bowling a lot of no-balls and sought corrective methods. These changes in the bowlers might look simple but the measures taken to correct them helps the bowlers tremendously.
Cricketnext.com: Amongst the Indian fast bowlers, who was the best?
TA Sekhar: Kapil was a great swing bowler. He had the art of swinging the ball in all conditions. I consider him as the best bowler in the world during the late 70’s and whole of 80s. He never depended on conducive conditions. He took more than 200 wickets on the sub-continent. I don’t think any other bowler has done so. In my opinion, Kapil is one of the greatest bowlers that the game has ever seen. He troubled the best of batsmen and had he played for a country like Australia, he would have remained the highest wicket-taker in both versions of the game.
Cricketnext.com: How could Kapil remain injury-free?
TA Sekhar: The reason that Kapil was not rested for injury problems in his days was because he is a great athlete. Kapil’s forte was a nice run-up, good leap and a beautiful action. He was also strong on technique. His ball sense was excellent and eye-coordination was brilliant. Kapil is one of the few sportsmen who could have become a world-beater in any discipline be it athletics or football or any other game for that matter. Kapil was not a guy who would dive to take a catch. Even today, people talk about the way he took the catch to dismiss Vivian Richards in the 1983 World Cup final.
Cricketnext.com: Which part of the country do you find fast bowling talents emerging?
TA Sekhar: These days we get fast bowling talents even from areas which do not have a legacy of cricket, states like Jharkhand and Chattisgarh. Basically, boys pick up fast bowling watching matches on television channels. One of our trainees, Varun Arun, is only 16 and really quick. We don’t know how tall he will grow and how strong and what pace he will be able to bowl at. Baroda is another place from where we have seen good fast bowlers in the recent past.
Cricketnext.com: To what do you attribute to the growth of interest in pace bowling?
TA Sekhar: Quality coaching is one of the main reasons. Another reason is that the boys in schools are encouraged to play other games also. This helps the boys to possess all round abilities. There also many private gymnasiums that help develop their physical fitness.
Cricketnext.com: What is the main reason of the success of your academy over two decades?
TA Sekhar: Dennis is the prime reason. I have interacted with Andy Roberts, Michal Holding and few others. No one could talk about fast bowling to boys like Lillee does. Dennis is a great exponent of art of fast bowling.
Cricketnext.com: What has been the success rate like?
TA Sekhar: In India, our academy is the only place from where bowlers have gone on to play for India. At least 14 players have represented India, and in fact, everyone except Ajit Agarkar from the present lot is from the academy. Even Agarkar had sought tips from Lillee.
Dennis has been visiting India four times a year for almost 20 years now. First, he created awareness and then we spotted the youngsters, trained and groomed them and the proof is there for all to see.
Cricketnext.com: What needs to be done to preserve fast bowlers?
TA Sekhar: We need to monitor their performance and progress. Some system has to be set in place. There are bowlers who can be quick only and some will be quick and swing the ball at the same speed. No coach should make a bowler bowling quick to stick to line and length but not swing, or vis-a-versa. No quick bowler should be made to reduce his usual speed, which will then affect his rhythm.
For example, Munaf was bowling 140 or 145 when he joined the Indian team but now he bowls at only around 110 to 117km. Why is there such a big drop in his delivery? Such things are to be analysed and remedial measures have to be taken. We have quality bowlers and we need to monitor them.
Cricketnext.com: How important is rest for fast bowlers?
TA Sekhar: The longevity of pacemen is in danger because of playing too much, faulty techniques, wear and tear, lack of rest between matches, physical fitness programme and fatigue.
Cricketnext.com: What are the tests that you normally conduct on bowlers?
TA Sekhar: It includes upper body strength, body fat analysis, running analysis, stretch and flexibility, trunk strength, speed and endurance, aerobic power and local muscle endurance. Apart from these, we do give emphasis on pelvic stabilization, tapping techniques and physiological examinations.