The Indian Express - India's search for a tearaway fast bowler

Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav

Enter Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron. Both had a lot in common – they came from unheralded places, played in one of the weaker teams of the Ranji trophy (Yadav for Vidharba and Aaron for Jharkhand), did not want to give up on pace and were highly injury promise. Both started off with a bang before ending up injured but Yadav has somehow managed to intersperse a couple of fine performances – he was one of the sole bright spots for India in Australia the last time around.

Varun Aaron

Varun Aaron

In contrast, Aaron has suffered a complete meltdown – since his debut, he is yet to last a full Ranji season. One hopes though that he gets back to his feet soon given the promise he holds in a cupboard which is mostly bare.

As of now there are a few other options going around. When he bends his back, Ashok Dinda can crank up 140 kmph without too much of effort – the only problem is that he is too erratic. The same can be said of Parvinder Awana – in any case, he is a couple of yards quicker too. In my opinion, he remains a decent back-up option as of date. In the recent past, Rahul Shukla has proved to be nippy in supportive conditions.

As in the past, it has never been that India is well and truly short of a genuine quick. It is just that we are yet to find someone who can sustain the pace and energy for a significant period of time. Here’s to hoping that Shami or Yadav or, for that matter, anyone else fills the gap in the years to come.