Bharat Arun impressed with team's pace unit

Bowling coach Arun believes that India has a good bench strength — Khaleel Ahmed's performance being an evidence of it.

Published : Oct 31, 2018 15:38 IST

Khaleel Ahmed appeals for a wicket during the fourth one day international (ODI) cricket match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
Khaleel Ahmed appeals for a wicket during the fourth one day international (ODI) cricket match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
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Khaleel Ahmed appeals for a wicket during the fourth one day international (ODI) cricket match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Khaleel Ahmed, whose three wickets in the fourth ODI against the Windes helped India to a 2-1 lead in the series, has impressed India bowling coach Bharat Arun.

Arun, who was speaking on the eve of the fifth ODI, said, "Khaleel looks a very exciting prospect. He’s sharp, he’s got the skills to do well at international level."

It is not just Khaleel who has done well over the last few months. According to him, the entire pace bowling unit has been evolving over the years.

"When we started off, the onus was not only on creating a force to to be reckoned with but also having a good bench strength," he said.

"We have a very good fast bowling quartet and the bench strength is also very exciting. We need it (bench strength) to sustain fast bowling over a long period of time. You need to rotate these bowlers and the work load management has to be monitored," he added.

On the importance of the Yo-Yo test and fitness of players, he said, "With the kind of schedule we have, fitness is important. And the mark that we have kept (for people to pass) is not very tough. Anyone who is in the team has to definitely pass the fitness test."

India's approach to the final ODI in Trivandrum on Thursday will not be different from the other games. "We took confidence out of the fourth ODI. We enjoyed playing here (Greenfield Stadium) the last time and I think this should be an exciting day’s game," he said.

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