Bharat Arun on MS Dhoni’s form: The Indian bowling coach believes in Dhoni’s experience and has called for more opportunities.
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In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, Bharat Arun, current bowling coach of India, was wax lyrical about former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The 55-year old gave reference of Dhoni’s experience and called for more opportunities in a bid to see him back among the runs. “His [Dhoni’s] striking ability is for everyone to see. He has done it many a times before. He is extremely experienced and I’m sure given the opportunities, he will come good,” he was quoted.
During the interview, Arun also laid emphasis on fitness for it has become a major criteria to qualify for the national team. Citing middle-order batsman Ambati Rayudu’s example in the past, Arun said that a player will only be eligible for selection if he makes the mark set for the Yo-Yo test.
“Fitness, with the kind of schedule that we have, is an important part of our focus. And the mark that we have kept for people to pass is not every tough. And anyone who is there in the team has to pass the fitness test,” he added.
As a bowling coach, Arun’s responsibility is more than just brushing the skills of the bowlers on a tour. “When we started off, the onus was not only on creating a force to reckon with pace bowling unit for the Indian team we also we needed a very good bench strength. To sustain fast bowling over a long period of time, you need to rotate these fast bowlers,” he said regarding why rotating the fast bowlers is necessary.
“India plays at least 60% more cricket than the rest of the world, and the workload has to be managed. We have a very good fast bowling quartet. And also, the bench strength is very exciting. Khaleel [Ahmed] looks a very exciting prospect. He is sharp and has the skills to do well in international cricket,” he further said about why building a bench strength is vital for the Indian team.
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