The Bangalore-based National Cricket Academy (NCA) is working double-time to set right the actions and fortify the mind of junior players.
MUMBAI: The Bangalore-based National Cricket Academy (NCA) is working double-time to set right the actions and fortify the mind of junior players. Five off-spinners, identified as having suspect actions, will undergo a corrective clinic, while sports psychologists — Sandy Gordon and Toby Martins — are being roped in to get rid off any apprehensions that the remedial measures may leave on the mind.
N Shivlal Yadav, director of the academy, told DNA from Bangalore on Monday that former Test off-spinner EAS Prasanna and former India paceman Venkatesh Prasad will be in charge of the corrective clinic.
Monish Parmar, the India under-19 off-spinner, who was one of the bowlers identified with a suspect action during the under-19 World Cup, will undertake the treatment. Fifteen-year-old SM Basha from Andhra, his statemate G Prasad, Yuvraj Yadav from the Hyderabad under-17 team and Karnataka’s Sunil Raj are the others.
“None of our bowlers should take the benefit of the 15 degree tolerance level specified by the International Cricket Council,” Yadav said. “They must have the cleanest possible action.”
The NCA has intimated the chief coaches of all the zonal cricket academies to forward the names of junior bowlers with a suspect action. Yadav confirmed that none of the fast bowlers have been found to have a suspect action. “Unfortunately, these bowlers have not been asked to correct their action earlier. But it is good that all of them are young and it is easy to mould and modify their action at this age,” Yadav said.
However, the biggest challenge is ensuring that these bowlers are able to replicate their corrected action during a match and not only at the nets.
“A case in point is Parmar,” Yadav said. “He is able to bowl with a clean action in the nets, but when he plays a match and he is hit for a few runs, the bowler’s first instinct is to fall back on his original action. We will strive to ensure that these off-spinners’ corrected actions persist during matches and for the rest of their playing careers.”
The NCA will also identify players who have the skill but are not able to make the progression from first class cricket to the big league. The services of Gordon and Martins will be used to help these potential India players make the grade. “For such talented cricketers, it is all in the mind,” Yadav said, highlighting the cases of AT Rayadu and Neeraj Patel.
Rayudu was India’s under-19 skipper at the 2003 World Cup and while most of his teammates including Dinesh Kaarthick, Robin Uthappa, VRV Singh and Suresh Raina have played for India, Rayudu has fallen out of contention with a string of unimpressive scores.
“Experts like Sandy and Toby can do a world of good for Rayudu and Patel. They have the talent, but they must learn to channel their energies in the right direction,” the NCA chairman said.
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