Bharat Arun: India has good fast bowlers; the challenge is about how quickly they can adapt

FILE PHOTO: Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun (centre) said India will be up to the task against the arduous challenge of facing New Zealand away. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU

After the West Indies tour, which will culminate with the fifth T20I on October 17, India will travel to New Zealand for a multi-format tour in what promises to be a tough assignment for Shubman Gill and co.

The Men in Blue have a torrid track record in New Zealand. In countries where India has played more than 70 games, its record in New Zealand is the worst. In 90 matches, the team has won only 28 matches with a win percentage of 31.1%.

India’s batting and bowling numbers are far from impressive, too. The team has averaged 28.76 with the bat, and despite the bowling-friendly conditions in New Zealand, has averaged a middling 33.52 with the ball.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir will hope his team can improve on these underwhelming numbers in the coming tour.

Ahead of the first T20I on October 22, former India bowling coach Bharat Arun shared his thoughts on India’s prospects, its bowling shortcomings, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return and Hardik Pandya’s injury, among other topics in an interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.

Q. How do you rate India’s chances in the New Zealand tour?

I think it’s going to be tough because New Zealand is one of the most competitive sides in the world. And also, playing them at home in their conditions is going to be even more difficult. They have picked a very strong pace bowling lineup as well because definitely, there is going to be an extra amount of grass on the wicket. So, it’s going to be a challenge but I think India is up to the task.

Q. India has struggled to defend big totals in recent matches. What do you think is going wrong with the current group of bowlers? Has the long list of injuries also been a contributing factor?

See, I think there’s a lot of talk about workload management. Sometimes, the understanding of workload management is not as it should be. Workload management is nothing but getting a player, whenever he’s playing, to make sure that he’s absolutely fit and raring, because being a fast bowler, physical fitness is of paramount importance. Yes, nobody is 100% fit all the time. Your fitness varies between 90 to 100%, but being 90% fit, I think, is very important for any fast bowler.

And as far as the Indian fast-bowling attack goes, there have always been very good fast bowlers in the country. Even prior to this era when we were there, I think there was Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Venkatesh Prasad, Javagal Srinath, and Irfan Pathan.

So India has always had very good fast bowlers. The main challenge is how quickly they can adapt to different conditions. So, I don’t feel we are lacking in quality, just because we have conceded so many runs.

Even in the IPL, totals of 200 and 250 are being chased. Even earlier, totals of 350 have been chased. Even when India played Australia, India played Sri Lanka, totals of 400 were close to being chased.

In South Africa, the host chased Australia’s 430. These things keep happening. That does not mean the bowlers go out of the equation. The bowlers will have to reinvent themselves.

Because I think the conditions are suiting more and more batters, and they are getting more adventurous, more fearless, and so the bowlers should, you know, reinvent themselves, and always there is a chance for these bowlers.

Q. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been named in India’s T20I squad for the New Zealand series? Do you eventually see him making a comeback to the ODI set-up along with the likes of Mohammed Shami?

I wouldn’t be looking too far ahead with Bhuvneshwar. Yes, he’s been picked on form. He’s a fantastic bowler, as everybody knows. Everyone knows what he’s capable of. And it’s how he fares right now that’s really going to matter. To me, the only question mark is his fitness. Will he be able to maintain the same level for the next year and a half? Only time will tell.

As for Shami, he has proved enough. Even as recently as the IPL, he did a magnificent job. It is now up to the selectors now if they want to pick him or not.

Q. India has tried a lot of bowling options in recent series, handing out debuts to many players. Keeping in mind conditions in South Africa, who do you think makes the squad for the World Cup?

I think it’s good to look at the future of Indian bowling, but look at who is available at the moment. And how many of us are really available and going, and what is the talent of these bowlers right now? It’s about… if a bowler is good enough. I strongly feel that he can adapt to any conditions. How quickly he understands the conditions is a challenge for an international cricketer.

And in international cricket, to do well in all countries, the biggest challenge is understanding his bowling first and also understanding of the conditions and how quickly you can make those relatively small changes to your bowling to suit.

So, I think most of those who are with the Indian team have the ability; they have the pace. So, it’s not right on my part to name a few bowlers, but I think we have the talent. The biggest challenge comes in how well we are able to adapt.

𝐓𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐌𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐣 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐢 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫. On Tuesday, he wrapped up his first win while captaining the side that launched a career that took him to international stage 🙌 Between the two lies an India career and a drive Siraj says has not changed. Read more ➡️ https://t.co/9rxupInNdQ ✍️: @AnirudhVelamuri | 📸: @nagaragopal

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) October 13, 2026

Q. Among the new faces, which bowlers have impressed you the most?

I have been impressed the most by Gurnoor Brar and Mayank Yadav. I was very happy to see Mayank, you know, producing good pace against the West Indies.

He is a bowler who dwells so much on his pace. Yes, it is good to have pace. Not many people can bowl as fast as he does. But even more important is the direction and the execution of your plans. In sport, sometimes you fail. It’s OK to fail, but more often, if you succeed in what you’re executing, then your pace becomes lethal. And that is exactly what Mayank should be looking to do.

Q. Bumrah has been outstanding for India but do you think he is lacking support?

I beg to differ. If you look at the overall Indian pace attack, it looks pretty healthy to me. Yes, Bumrah is going to be our spearhead, and we manage him in such a way that he remains in top-notch condition for the big events that India is going to play.

It’s just a question of combination. Players like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana have done a fine job in their short careers. I also think they are doing a good thing by trying out different bowlers who have done well in the domestic circuit. They are gaining experience in the process, and I think we should give them time to prove themselves.

Q. Where would you say India needs to improve the most in bowling?

Well, I think the biggest challenge for a bowler nowadays is in the PowerPlay and the death overs. For you to be successful at the death, time and again, you need a good yorker. It’s been the recipe for success ten years ago and now. If you look at Bumrah or Lasith Malinga, what made him so special was his yorker. So India’s bowlers should be looking to not just better their yorkers, but also bring in more variations to their skill set.

Q. What do you make of Gautam Gambhir’s stint as head coach so far?

What you see is what you get with Gambhir. He is somebody who encourages players to go out and express themselves freely, and always supports them.

Q. How much of a blow is Hardik Pandya’s injury and do you think Nitish Kumar Reddy has done a good enough job in his place?

Hardik is a fabulous all-rounder, we’ll definitely miss somebody with his stature and class, but then if he’s not available, there’s nothing much we can do about it.

Nitish is a genuine candidate, he has enough pace to bowl well at the international level. But like I have said before, his success will depend on if he can execute his plans and adapt to different conditions under pressure. Do I think he has the ability? One hundred percent. But a lot will hinge on if he can transform that ability into consistent performances.