Irfan Pathan picks one bowler to play a huge role in the World Cup 2019

India has always been tagged the land of the batsmen and the spinners but of late they have discovered a breed of fast bowlers who are quick, aggressive and have performed both at home and away. The current state is such that two of the finest pacers in India, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav don’t find a place in the starting XI even after the team secured a series win.

Indian left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan who was one of the best in the game at his prime decoded the reason for the emergence of so much talent in the fast bowling department. He said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is hardly been praised for it but the board deserves a lot of credit for the way they’ve structured domestic cricket, the facilities like the National Cricket Academy and other talent identification programs.

BCCI and IPL deserve the credit

“A lot of credit should be given to the BCCI, the way they have structured first-class cricket and the IPL has a big role in identifying talent,” Irfan said while talking to CricTracker.

He also detailed on how the IPL has increased the penetration and available platform for the players to showcase their talent. “What IPL has ensured is all the different cities started playing cricket and a lot of other state leagues have come in as well. This has given the talented players a platform and thus we see such a pool of cricketers now who have the ability to deliver when it counts,” the former Baroda captain said.

“At the same time, there are structures like the National Cricket Academy. It is not that this is happening now; the system has been in place for years just that we’re able to identify the results now,” he further added.

Need to preserve Bumrah for WC 2019

Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been the backbone of the Indian bowling line-up across the three formats now. Bumrah made his Test debut in South Africa and impressed most as he consistently threatened the batsmen bowling the right channel. But for a fast bowler to play all white ball as well as red ball cricket across the year along with the IPL can be really tasking on the body.

Irfan admitted that fast bowling is fundamentally a challenge for the body and thus the pacers are bound to pick up injuries. Having been prone to such troubles himself that hampered his career in a big way, the veteran is certain that Indian team management will balance the workload for Bumrah who is going to be a crucial name in the team that plays the World Cup in 2019.

“Fast bowling isn’t a natural phenomenon, and that makes one prone to injuries. With Jasprit Bumrah’s action, he needs to be managed well. He is a crucial player for the team – he is really good with the new ball and is an excellent death bowler. In my view, he has a huge role to play in the 2019 World Cup,” he said.

“Bhuvi particularly has not only contributed with his bowling and fielding but has made valuable additions to the team with the bat as well. So the team management will certainly want to look at balancing his workload,” the 33-year-old added.

Level of competition in the team

Talking about the competition among the fast bowlers in this team Irfan said, “A guy like Shami will find a place in any international team; though being out of the team isn’t the best thing for his career but certainly a positive sign for Indian cricket.”