'Siraj can't expect Bumrah to deliver every time, he must stand up; will pick Prasidh over Arshdeep': Paras Mhambrey
Former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey is no stranger to transitions in Indian Test sides. He himself was part of the transition lot in 1996 when India toured England and handed debuts to as many as six youngsters in the three-match series. Mhambrey was part of the first lot, along with Venkatesh Prasad, Sunil Joshi and Vikram Rathour, to get their Test caps in the first match in Birmingham. Mhambrey played only one more Test and three ODIs after that but he went on to become one of the greats of Mumbai cricket, winning five titles in his tenure.
The right-arm medium pacer took up coaching after announcing retirement and immediately succeeded in domestic cricket with Bengal. He then went on to coach the India A team and the India U19 team and worked with Rahul Dravid at the NCA before the legendary cricketer appointed him as the senior Indian side's bowling coach. During their tenure, India won the T20 World Cup in 2024. A year later, India is facing a massive transition phase in Test cricket.
Shubman Gill has been appointed Test captain after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin retired. Mohammed Shami has failed to reach the necessary fitness levels for five-day cricket, meaning India has assembled its least experienced Test squad in England since Mhambrey's debut 29 years ago.
Ahead of the first Test in Headingley, Hindustan Times caught up with Mhmabrey to pick his brains.
Exceprts
They must have had a chat with Jasprit Bumrah and asked him what his plans are. They must have taken into consideration what has happened with Bumrah, the moment he went all out in a five-match Test series. Now we know that Bumrah is only fit to play three Tests, so they didn't want to be in a situation where they had two different captains in a big series. Knowing Bumrah, he is very straightforward. He will take everything into consideration in terms of the team first. That's his approach.
You've got to miss Shami's experience, right? Unfortunately, he is not there on the tour. Prior to this, you had three bowlers, experienced bowlers playing together. You have had Shami, Bumrah. You usually had Umesh in between. We played a lot of cricket together then. You don't have that option out here. The second best from here is Mohammed Siraj. He has played 35 (36) Tests. He needs to share the workload with Bumrah. The expectation shouldn't be that only Bumrah will go out and deliver for you. Siraj needs to shoulder that responsibility and do the job for the team because he is the senior-most after Bumrah out here. Someone like Prasidh has only a few Test matches under his belt, and the same is true for Akash Deep. Arsh is on his debut. You don't want to have that pressure on them.
If you just monitor their progress in the IPL, I think they've ticked the right boxes. The right boxes in the sense of, obviously, they played all the games. In terms of the fitness bit, that's a big tick for me. All of them looked in rhythm. They picked up wickets.
If you look at Siraj and Prasidh, the way they're bowled has been very satisfactory. Arsh has always shouldered the new ball responsibly. He's always bowled in one of the toughest phases of the game. He goes in the first powerplay, he goes in the death. So, the experience is there. The Ability to soak in the pressure is there.
He is very disciplined in terms of the way he goes about his stuff. He does his stuff religiously. But honestly, IPL is such a format that you are travelling a lot. It's really very difficult to honestly go there and prepare for Test series and think beyond the IPL. In an ideal scenario, I would love to have that kind of opportunity to kind of mix it between the IPL. But you can't do that. But I have seen him bowl long spells. He was feeling really good about his body and the workload it had gone through leading into the England series.
I am very confident that he is aware of it (what to do). He is an intelligent bowler. He is a smart bowler. So, he must have worked it out very well. But he should not really go away from his strength. And his strength is kind of running it and really hitting the deck. It has worked well for him. England is a very different scenario altogether. So, your venues offer different surfaces. The weather is unpredictable. One day, you will have overcast conditions. The other day will be bright and sunny. So, it is kind of being adaptive.
Yes, you will also have to keep different tactics for different batters. Sometimes you want to go fuller to a particular batter. Sometimes you want to hit that deck and keep the length slightly towards you for a particular batter.
Now, here, the tactical call that you have to make is four seamers or three. Shardul is out there, who makes the job easier because of his batting. Bumrah and Siraj will be your starters for sure. But I believe that you need a little variety in their bowling. So, for the first three Tests, I would like to see Prasidh in the mix. Because purely for the fact that he offers a little different variation to the bowling. You have Bumrah, who swings and skids the ball a little quicker. Siraj is kind of, again, not an out-and-out swing bowler. But, you know, he does use the seem smartly. But I would see someone like Prasidh. He will be able to use the conditions slightly differently. He would be in my XI. With four seamers, you have Shardul, who fits the role. You have Jadeja playing as the long spin option and middle-order batter. Eight, nine, ten, eleven is your out-and-out seam attack. As the series goes on, you might want a different angle. Then, if that's the case, then Arsh fits in. But in case you only want to go with three genuine seamers and Shardul is your fourth option, then I would prefer Prasidh.
It's going to be different. You can say he has played Test cricket but all of them have been as a player. There was no added responsibility. As a captain, you think differently. You don't really think about yourself. You have to start thinking about the other 10 players who are with you. Your involvement in moments is constant. As a player, you have the opportunity to think more about your own game But here you are constantly thinking about the tactical decisions, about the bowlers, about the wickets. You are thinking about how to control the game. When the game is going away from you, you think how do I get it back? This added responsibility is always going to be there. But unless and until you put him in that situation, he will never realise it. I am sure he will find a foothold. He is smart. He has worked all his career so far. He has been around someone like Rohit. He has been with someone like Virat. They are fabulous captains, right? So I am sure he has learned the way they have gone about their captaincy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors: Live streaming info, date, time, venue and other details
Bayern Munich made a statement in their opening match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and can seal a place in the last 16 with victory over Boca Juniors in their second group game. The Bundesliga giants kicked off their campaign with a stunning 10–0 demolition of New Zealand's Auckland City, showcasing their attacking firepower. Jamal Musiala marked his return from injury with a hat-trick, while Kingsley Coman, Michael Olise, and outgoing veteran Thomas Muller each bagged a brace. Boca Juniors, meanwhile, will be shorthanded for the clash. Nicolas Figal is suspended after receiving a red card late in their opening draw against Benfica, and Ander Herrera will also miss out following his ejection from the bench after a heated exchange with security and match officials. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 임플란트 최대 할인 지원해드려요 임플란터 더 알아보기 Undo Injuries further complicate Boca's task. Edinson Cavani missed the opener due to a calf problem and remains doubtful, while defender Marco Pellegrino is expected to sit out with a muscle injury. Bayern enter the matchup as clear favorites, while Boca will need to dig deep to keep their hopes of advancing alive. Live Events HOW TO WATCH BAYERN VS BOCA CLUB WORLD CUP CLASH LIVE Match: Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors Venue: Hard Rock Stadium , Miami Date: June 20, Friday Start Time: 9pm ET Where to Watch: DAZN
News18
40 minutes ago
- News18
IND vs ENG, Leeds Weather Live Updates: Will Rain Hinder Shubman Gill's Captaincy Debut?
India vs England, Leeds Weather Today Live Updates: Hello and a very warm welcome to News18 CricketNext's weather coverage of the first Test between India and England at Headingley. First days are always crucial in England, and this one is particularly important. It's not just the inauguration of the new Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy but also the start of a new era of Indian cricket, under the 25-year-old Shubman Gill. For England, too, it's a high-stakes moment with Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum hoping to kick off the third World Test Championship cycle on a winning note to build towards a first final. But England has seen several such moments get washed out by rain. What about today? According to the chances of rain for the three sessions are quite low, almost negligible. However, the fun of playing cricket in England is that the weather here is quite fragile — it's randomly sunny and suddenly overcast, which tends to affect how the ball behaves. We'll keep you updated about all the happenings here!
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
IND vs ENG: Who said what in India's camp ahead of 1st Test against England
Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja during a nets session at Headingley (Photo by) India begins a new era in Test cricket without stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin as they prepare for their series opener against England at Headingley on Friday. The young squad, led by newly appointed captain Shubman Gill , aims to reclaim their dominance in the red-ball format after recent setbacks against New Zealand and Australia. T he Indian team faces a significant transition period with the retirement of batting legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket last month. Ravichandran Ashwin also announced his retirement during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "It is a new group. We are missing a few senior players, and yeah, it is a young team led by a really young captain," KL Rahul stated in a video shared by the BCCI on X. Shubman Gill, who succeeds Rohit Sharma as Test captain, becomes the youngest in Indian cricket history to lead the Test side. India's recent defeats against New Zealand and Australia prevented them from reaching the World Test Championship final. Shubman's Big Test Begins! India's Probable XI & Stokes' Mind Games | ENG vs IND 1st Test Preview "Everyone is so young and it will be relatively easy and exciting to be able to mould this team into what we would want we want in the next 10-15 years of Indian cricket to becomes," Gill expressed about leading the young squad. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo "As a team, our balance is very good. We will play good cricket," senior player Ravindra Jadeja commented on the team composition. Quiz: Who's that IPL player? Shardul Thakur , with experience of four Tests in England, shared his thoughts: "I think it is very exciting to play in this part of the world. Sometimes it is cloudy, and sometimes it is bright sunny, and as a player, you need to make adjustments to your game, whether you are batting or bowling." "This is a big series, and if we win, it will be a massive achievement," said left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, highlighting the series' importance in the World Test Championship cycle. Arshdeep Singh, receiving his first Test call-up, stated: "To start off, here it is said that it is a tough series, if we seal it off well, it will be fun." "It always pumps you and always want to give your best, and just super excited to play in this England series," expressed all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who impressed in Australia. WV Raman backs Shubman Gill to fire in England: 'He needs the right support' "It is a proud feeling to play with such an extraordinary group of talent," added pace bowler Mohammed Siraj. Purple Cap holder from IPL 2025, Prasidh Krishna, shared his optimism: "All of us are upbeat, always joking around. If that fun leads to winning a tournament here, it will be great. All of us will be jumping around for sure and maybe come up with a dance for a celebration." India has not won at Headingley since 2002, making this series opener particularly challenging for the young squad. The Indian squad includes Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-Captain & Wicketkeeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal , KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah , Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
