Sreesanth, Zaheer have improved technique: Sekar

JOHANNESBURG: India’s sensational win in the first Test at Johannesburg, on the back of high quality bowling performances from Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan, has led to plenty of talk of one’s breakdancing and the other’s improved attitude but little analysis of their improved technique. That, though, is what made the difference, says TA Sekar, the former Indian fast bowler and head coach at the MRF Pace Foundation - where both Sreesanth and Zaheer have spent time.
“Getting to the international level is one thing - you can do that with a few good performances in domestic cricket. But after that to sustain your quality against top flight opposition you have to have a good technique because every flaw is exposed and exploited,” he told Cricinfo. “Just as a batsman can fine-tune his technique and improve, so can a bowler. If you don’t have good technique you cannot bowl where you want at will - and that is essential at the highest level. No one wants to bowl a bad ball. It happens because of a fault in technique.”
Sekar breaks down the reasons for the success of Sreesanth and Zaheer at the Wanderers On the specifics Sreesanth has worked on he had a problem with running in too fast because he gets carried away sometimes. A side-on bowler starts slowly, gradually builds up and maintains this in the last few steps to arrive at the crease with good balance. But in the case of front-on bowlers the bowler builds up speed and runs through the crease. A side-on bowler needs to jump into a ‘rock back’ position. To do this he needs to arrive at the crease at a comfortable speed and land in a position similar to a javelin thrower with the back foot as close to parallel to the crease.
In the West Indies , Sreesanth was running in too fast and getting into a semi-open to open position. I saw this on TV and called the video analyst and told him this, and suggested some corrections. When some people try to get into side-on positions they twist the trunk and get into a past side-on position and that causes problems. But in Sreesanth’s case he gets very close to side-on and there isn’t a problem there.
On getting a perfect seam position If the arm rotation is close to the body, and turns over the back leg then the wrist position will be towards the target. Imagine you’re rolling a small wheel. If you roll it with your hand right behind it, it’s going to run straight. If you spin it even a bit it won’t run straight.
In Sreesanth’s case his wrist and fingers are right behind the ball and this provides the support necessary to maintain a good seam position. If the wrist and fingers are right behind the ball, and follow the ball after delivery you will get a good seam position. And you can’t get a good wrist and finger position when your arm rotation is wrong. When this happens you tend to push the ball through, and that’s when it wobbles.
How Sreesanth can sustain his pace in the season to come If you look at his bowling action, the left foot position is quite high. So naturally he will have good pace because the hand and the leg comes down simultaneously - something he uses very well. So there’s no reason he will lose his pace unless he runs in too fast and doesn’t get into a good position.
On Zaheer’s problem His problem was his fitness, it was definitely not up to the mark. But regular cricket has improved his bowling muscles and at the same time picking up wickets has given him confidence. Zaheer is 28. If he is going to think about bowling as fast as he can he is not going to be able to consistently bowl a good line and length.
On his solution He’s sacrificed about 5 per cent of his pace. He can still bowl the odd ball at 135-136 kmh but he doesn’t aim to bowl every ball at that pace. At this stage in his career that is appropriate. Also, for the last two or three years we have been telling him to reduce his leap. When you land after the jump and transfer your weight from the back to front foot, eight to ten times your body weight goes through every joint below the hip. So naturally the higher you jump the more force you experience, and this leads to injuries.—Agencies