Team India enjoyed the No. 1 ranking in Test cricket for more than three years and the main reason behind their success was the performances of the fast bowling unit.
The pace attack, featuring Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav, did a fantastic job in both home and away conditions.
Decoding their success, bowling coach Bharat Arun said workload management is the reason Indian pacers are able to bowl at speeds more than 140 kmph consistently.
Arun revealed the support staff constantly track the bowlers' movements on the field during match days using a GPS tracker, which helps them decide the workload at training sessions.
"When we talk about workload management, we are looking at the number of overs a bowler has bowled. But then a bowler can over-exert himself in a game and that is not under your control. So we use the GPS tracker to monitor all his movements on the field," Arun said on episode three of Inside Out, a show hosted by India women coach WV Raman.
"For example, a bowler runs around 20 km on the field. And the tracker gives us a lot of data and information about the bowler concerned. By analysing those data, you can manage the workload at training sessions. Basically, you need to find the right balance. And the Indian bowlers have managed to do that so far.
"This is the reason why we are successful as a bowling unit and the bowlers can bowl at 140 kmph regularly."
Earlier this month, Arun had said fast bowlers will need six-eight weeks of rigorous training before they can step on the park again whenever the COVID-19 hiatus is over.
"It'd take us at least 6-8 weeks for us to play international matches, whereby we'd be first working on the skill, and fitness in the camps and then we'll progress onto match simulations, and hopefully the BCCI can organise a tournament just before we play the international matches, that would be great for us," he told Fancode.
"I'm not worried about the bowlers because they've had ample time in the last 2 months, to work on strength and their fitness. Very rarely does an international cricketer, especially our bowlers, would get this kind of time to work on their fitness. Also, it is a wonderful opportunity for them to get over the little niggles, that they may have got over the long season."
(Inputs from CricketNext)
