The ace behind their pace

The Indian pacers have been delivering the goods so far,  but Prasad prefers not to bask in the glory as yet

MELBOURNE: It’s easy to fall out of shape these days. Particularly when you are no longer playing. But Venkatesh Prasad has resisted the temptation. As a coach, he would not believe in the policy of ‘Do what I say, not what I do’. He would rather do what his wards need to do. It has been nearly 10 years since he retired, but even today Prasad looks fit enough to walk into the Indian side. He’s not required to, though. His wards are doing enough to warrant his comeback.

The bowling, no doubt, has been the success story of India’s tour so far. Even without Zaheer Khan, the spearhead for India for some time, India have managed to take 20 Australian wickets in a Test match, and what’s more, earned the respect from rival camps. The bowling peaked in Perth, when Prasad’s wards outbowled Brett Lee & Co, who, many thought, would be unplayable in the most difficult pitch in the world. It was the Indian bowlers who were unplayable.

But Prasad believes, Australia were more outthought than outbowled. “We preferred swing, they went for pace. So it was a simple strategic battle which we won,” he recollects the Test, which India won to shock the cricket world.

“We thought the conditions were good enough for swing. So we approached the Test with an aim to give the ball more air. It is not a rocket science. The more the ball stays in the air, the more it swings. So we decided to pitch it up. They preferred to hit the deck.” But Prasad doesn’t want to bask in the glory yet: “We’ve still a long way to go in the tour. I would rather talk about it later.”

But it was not easy not to talk about Ishant Sharma, who has become the answer for India’s search for a kind of quickie it has been looking for since the retirement of Javagal Srinath. “Yes, there is a lot of similarity but what is important is the hunger for success and willingness to learn. He is shaping up well.”

What has he done to bring him into shape? “Nothing special. You have to keep working with him constantly. Keep communicating with him as much as possible. Just be his guide and keep reminding him of his strengths and weaknesses.” Prasad is, in fact, doing exactly the things he would have wanted when he was playing for the country.
So is Ishant the answer to India’s quest for tearaway pacer? “I don’t know if he is the answer or not. I’m happy with the way he is shaping up. I don’t look beyond the present. Who knows about the future...”

Makes sense, considering the injuries the Indian pacers have had in recent times. What about Sreesanth, who has just come off well from an injury?

“He has hit the right rhythm. That is a good sign.” And Irfan Pathan? “He is in fine shape. We’re working hard on every aspect of his bowling.”

No Zaheer, no RP Singh, any worries? “No worry, as long as we’re working hard,” Prasad says.