Ravi Kumar, taking left turn to success; offers India hope of long-term prospect

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Bengaluru, February 8: Barring Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan to some extent, India always had difficulty in fielding a quality left-arm pacer for a longer duration in international cricket.

But the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2022, which India won, has offered a slice of hope for them. R Ravi Kumar, the 18-year-old left-arm pacer who plays for Bengal.

Ravi ended up with 10 wickets in the Under-19 World Cup, two wickets behind leader Vicky Ostwal. More than the number of wickets, the approach of Ravi Kumar to his craft was impressive.

Ravi is a genuine swing bowler, and can perform the dual role of run-choker and wicket-taker as per the demands of the game. Ravi’s overall tournament economy rate stood at an impressive 3.6, evidence for his control, and his four-wicket burst against Australia in a warm-up match showcased his ability to purchase wickets.

“It has always been the case with Ravi. He is not outright quick like some others, you know the 140 (kmph) kind of bowler, but what he has is direction, control and the genuine ability to swing the ball.

“Ravi’s wrist and seam position too are very good. We have worked on that for a long time at the academy nets,” said Arvind Bharadwaj, coach and mentor of Ravi Kumar.

“He can continuously hit the right areas, the off and middle-stump line and can swing the ball back into batsman. It is a fine ability to have for a left-arm pace bowler,” said Bharadwaj.

Ravi was bowling on the West Indian pitches for the first time but ended up with considerable success. Bharadwaj attributed it to Ravi’s willingness to stick to his strong points.

“If you look at his bowling, he was not experimenting much. He just bowled the right line and length and bowled a bit fuller that allowed to get him movement.

“I had told him before the World Cup, don’t complicate things by experimenting a lot and just stick to your basics and success will follow. He did just that and called me after the WC to express his happiness,” said Bharadwaj.

Ravi’s accuracy was visible in the final against England when dismissed skipper Tom Prest and opener Jacob Bethel.

Prest attempted a pull, but there was not enough room to execute that shot and he dragged the ball back on to the stumps while Bethel was trapped in front through a lovely delivery that swung into him.

Former India batsman and the current Bengal under-19 coach Devang Gandhi is not surprised one bit.

“I saw him for the first time at nets ahead of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy (2021). He ticked all the boxes. He has this ability to bring the ball in (into the batsman), a great asset for a left-arm pacer.

Perhaps, what he had to acquire at that point of time was bit of a strength. We worked on that aspect in the camp and it helped him to add a couple of yards of pace,” said Gandhi.

Gandhi was also impressed by the 18-year-old’s maturity. “In the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, he has showed good maturity and in some pressure situations he did not lose his head and that was quite impressive for a youngster.

“If he keeps that and works on his game then, he can definitely go higher, and yes I believe he is a long-term prospect,” he said.

So, should Ravi be fast-tracked to senior cricket through the upcoming Ranji Trophy or wait for some more time before pitchforking in to higher grade cricket?

“I think we have seen pretty much all of him at this level (Under-19). He is oozing confidence at this point and looks ready for the next stage. I would not be surprised if he gets picked for the Ranji Trophy side this season itself,” said Gandhi.

Will Ravi deliver on his early promise? Let’s hope so!