The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to strengthen its pace-bowling development by appointing three fast-bowling coaches at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
According to the Times of India, former Indian pacers Lakshmipathy Balaji and VRV Singh are top candidates for two of the positions. Coach P Krishna Kumar, who received acclaim for his work with the Jammu and Kashmir team, is also in consideration.
Other former bowlers, including Vinay Kumar and Tinu Yohanan, have been interviewed for the roles. The fast-bowling coach position at the CoE has been vacant since Troy Cooley’s tenure ended last year.
The new structure is expected to assign different responsibilities to each coach. One coach will focus on bowlers in the Under-16 age group, while another will work with pacers who are either part of the Indian team or training at the CoE for skill enhancement.
The third coach will manage the transition from junior cricket to the senior team. The CoE already employs a similar multi-coach approach for strength and conditioning specialists and physiotherapists. This change comes in response to concerns about the development of India’s upcoming fast bowlers.
In 2024, a fast-bowling contract scheme was introduced for promising young bowlers but was discontinued a year later. There are growing worries about why several young fast bowlers struggle to maintain form and consistency after early success. The India A programme, formerly considered effective under Rahul Dravid at the National Cricket Academy, is now seen as less impactful.
During Dravid’s leadership, a select group of bowlers received careful guidance from him and former bowling coach Paras Mhambrey. The decline of Umran Malik highlights the need for continuous support, workload management, and technical coaching for developing pace talent.
In addition to the fast-bowling coaches, former Rajasthan wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik is expected to join the CoE as a fielding coach. Meanwhile, Dhananjay Kaushik has been elevated to head of sports medicine, taking over from Nitin Patel.