If you only focus on strengthening, you have a shorter career: Manoj Prabhakar

Q: For the first season as a coach in Delhi, there was a lack of continuity. What is your vision and focus now?

A: The biggest problem with Delhi cricket is that we have talent but they are not used properly. In the past, the way it worked, if you played in Delhi, then 50 percent of these players were ready to play in India. (But) in the last 10-15 years, we’ve played the Ranji Trophy final only twice in 2007 and 2017. If a team has a good support staff, it will grow in confidence. If their shortcomings are addressed properly, players will get better. I multiplied this (to Delhi and the President of the District Cricket Association) Rohan Jaitley ji and he has shown faith in me.

Q: Is it now the case that cricketers in Delhi do not have a proper transition from age group to senior level?

A: Talent needs to be nurtured properly. For a fast bowler, speed is important. But if you can’t work on different variations, you won’t make progress. This we need to look at as you have to mix the swing with the speed. Relying on speed alone can make you unstable. What I’ve learned as a cricketer, if I can teach even part of it to young people, I think the Delhi team will touch the top again.

Q: What is your acronym as a bowling coach for Delhi cricket?

A: The whole bowling alley in Delhi cricket is my responsibility; senior, junior, women. If I see a bowler doing well at the U-19 level, he can be fed into our Ranji team. Then we have the U-19 Women’s World Cup next year, and I want to see at least two or three Delhi players on the Indian team. I have time to take care of them.

Q: Someone like Navdeep Sain who is prone to injuries and has fallen a little radar, what is your work process with him?

A: In 2017, when Ishant Sharma was dropped from the Indian team and I was the coach of Delhi, I coached him… Ishant had some technical problems for a while. His shoulder fell, the position of his wrist was not correct. See how he has bowled now and notice the difference.

Navdeep played in Delhi in 2017 when I was a coach. After that, we didn’t meet. If I get a chance to work with him, I will definitely help him. Rhythm is very important for a fast bowler. If it is disturbed, the injuries will creep in. If you want to play test cricket regularly, you also need to change your thinking process. It is important to know when to give more than 100 percent and when to bowl 80 percent. If you think of bowling with every delivery at 140 km / h; it is not easy to maintain. I’ve seen some great bowlers take injuries (bowling this way). The Navdeep could be a great weapon for India in the days to come because he is good. But he has to learn a few things and gain experience (to get to the next level).

Q: Why are fast bowlers so vulnerable today to injury?

A: Many of them do not have a gym and prefer to work out in the gym / gym. So they do more strengthening exercises at the expense of endurance. And the injuries become thick and fast. This is something we need to teach our youth that if you just focus on strengthening, you will have a shorter career. I played in India for 12 years and I was never injured.

Q: Most young people these days focus primarily on the Indian Premier League (IPL) and / or white ball cricket instead of test cricket. So do you agree that training methods should also be different?

A: Getting started requires a good start and action, followed by developing variations. Modern coaching for young fast bowlers cannot be just out of stock. You need to develop a good slower delivery. You saw how many slower deliveries were made in the Lords test. You will also need to learn the bowling alley skill early in your career.

Even for tests today, players are selected from the IPL. So you have to treat young cricketers with an eye for white ball cricket as well.

Q: What do you think this rapid rise in bowling in India is a four-phase attack?

A: What the current Indian Pace Unit has done, opponents are hesitant to set green tops even in their backyard. This increase is largely due to the IPL. The exposure it has given to our young fast bowlers has received rewards.

(Jasprit) Bumrah is an IPL product. (Mohammed) Shamis improvements have taken place there as well. (Mohammed) Siraj as well. They get some top-notch coaches in the IPL, which has contributed to their development. And Virat (Kohli) deserves the honor. He has changed the fitness level of our team.

Q: So many players in a U-19 level bowl at 140 mph, but most of them disappear. Why?

A: They need to be cared for properly. Yes, they need to think about their cricket to heal. Speed ​​banking alone is not enough. But they should also have a clear direction. Much depends on how they are guided and coached while moving from junior level to first class cricket.