Published 17:46 IST, October 8th 2019
Team India bowling coach Bharat Arun says conditions are secondary
Bharat Arun has said that the conditions have got nothing to do with India's success as the top-ranked Test side. Arun added that the conditions were secondary.
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Team India had a grand homecoming as they registered a comprehensive 203-run win over South Africa in the first of the three-match Test series at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vizag. By the virtue of this massive win, India have ended up adding a valuable 40 points to their tally in the ICC World Test Championship points table. The Virat Kohli-led side are comfortably placed at the summit of the table with 160 points in three matches and continue to be the top-ranked Test side as well. Meanwhile, India's bowling coach Bharat Arun has come forward to talk about the team's success at home and one thing that they are certainly not relying on.
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The conditions have got nothing to do
"We don't ask for the kind of wickets that we get. For us to be the No. 1 team in the world, any conditions that come your way, you have to accept it as home conditions," Arun, who has done a phenomenal job with the bowling unit, told reporters on Tuesday.
Arun then added that the mantra was on developing the skills rather than becoming a slave of the conditions.
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"When we go abroad, we hardly look at the wicket. We say that we are going to look at it as home conditions as wicket (track) is same for both teams. We are going to work on our bowling rather than looking at the wicket," the former India seamer said.
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Bharat Arun is happy as the Indian pacers have performed well even on the flattest of the tracks but at the same time, he is disappointed when people criticise sub-continental tracks that offer turn.
"When we get seaming tracks abroad, we get to hear that 'Oh Indians should learn to play on seaming track'. Seaming tracks are considered to be good tracks, but whereas if there is a track that assists spin, you say 'oh, how can you spin the ball on day 1'.
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"When the ball seams, you accept it but when the ball turns you don't accept it," the paradox baffles Arun.
Being the best in the business
Bharat Arun has also mentioned that the conditions in which they play Test cricket were secondary while their focus is to remain the best in the business.
"Ideally, a normal wear and tear wicket for Test match is fine but if you want to be No. 1 team in the world, you can't be looking at wickets. You got to look at the bowling, adapt your bowling instantaneously for success."
Arun gives due credit to Kohli
Bharat Arun has credited Indian skipper Virat Kohli for the freedom that he has given to his pacers.
"Different bowlers are dealt with differently. Bumrah and Shami come in short bursts but Ishant bowls a longer spell -- about 7 overs. Shami has, in fact, said in one of his interviews that captain lets them do what they want.
"He (Kohli) gives freedom to choose whether they want to bowl a short spell or a long spell. Bowlers are aware of how they could be a lot more effective and they convey this to the captain," said Arun.
(With PTI Inputs)
16:48 IST, October 8th 2019