Bowling to a handful of BCCI Presidents XI specialist batsmen, Nathu Singh looked far from a tearaway fast bowler from the first floor balcony of the Cricket Club of India (CCI); but the word has gone fast and thick from cricketers of eminence like Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir that the 20-year-old Team Rajasthan tyro is a genuine material that can be nurtured and shaped into something big.
Moreover it’s been reported that the chief coach at the MRF Pace Foundation, Australian great Glenn McGrath has identified Nathu Singh’s ability to get the ball back into the right hander. So the Nathu Singh fuss has some credible voice behind it and the faithful at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday and Saturday would be very curious to know the capability and aspirations of the young fast bowler while in action against the South African batsmen in the two-day warm up game before the four Test series.
The national selectors, on their part, have found out in recent times that India’s Test captain has not had the luxury of fielding a healthy team of fast bowlers in Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron and are on the lookout for anyone causing ripples; credit to them for not delaying the introduction of the Sikar-born Nathu Singh into a two-day international. National selector from East Zone Saba Karim will convey his assessment of Nathu Singh to the other four selectors.
The new kid on the block was given a half hour work out on the eve of the match and once he rejoiced at having forced K.L. Rahul lob a catch to an imaginary fielder on the onside. He has played four Ranji Trophy matches, bowled 670 balls and captured 12 wickets at 29.33 with a best of 7 for 87 in the second against Delhi in his debut match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
Thereafter he must have learned that fast bowling is all about hard work, bending ones back and quickly also lapping up the tricks of theTRADE. His figures in the next three matches were two for 77, one for 67 and one for 96, all on wickets that are generally regarded far from seamer friendly.
The home team’s coach Ashish Kapoor had not seen Nathu Singh bowl and so he asked him on Wednesday night at the team hotel to show his action on his smart phone. Skipper Cheteshwar Pujara who has faced some of the best fast bowlers in business did not even face Nathu Singh at nets on Thursday afternoon.
“Most of us have not seen him bowl and so we will see him in action on Friday,’’ said Kapoor. “I won’t draw comparisons him with them (Ishant, Umesh and Aaaron). But he’s talented and he has a bright future. The selectors have selected him for the match,’’ said Pujara.
While attention will be riveted on Nathu Singh, the two-day game also offers an opportunity for the likes of Mumbai’s Shreyas Iyer, Karnataka’s Karun Nair, Delhi’s Unmukt Chand and of course Pujara and Rahul (both in the Indian team for the first two Test matches) to find out what the South African bowling is capable of. Seamer Vernon Philander, off break bowlers Simon Harmer and Dane Piedt and leg spinner Imran Tahir may bowl a lot of overs.
The team has been joined by Australian Michael Hussey, who has been the batting consultant from the World Cup. Hussey was part of the support staff for the three match Twenty20 series. According to team’s media officer Hussey will return to Australia on November 3.
The South African team that will led by Hashim Amla in the Test series, has been bolstered by the arrival of batsmen Temba Bavuma, Stiaan van Zyl and wicketkeeper Dane Vilas. Dean Elgar replaced the injured Jean-Paul Duminy during the ODI series.
“I will talk to the South African team tomorrow morning and then I would know how the match will be played,’’ said Pujara, when asked if the match will be 12-a-side or something different.
The teams (from): Board President’s XI: Cheteshwar Pujara, K.L. Rahul, Unmukt Chand, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Naman Ojha, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Nathu Singh, Karn Sharma, Sheldon Jackson.
South Africa XI: Hashim Amla (captain), A.B. de Villiers, Faf du Plessis,Temba Bavuma, Dean Elgar, Simon Harmer, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Piedt, Dane Vilas, Stiaan van Zyl, Jean-Paul Duminy.
Umpires: Subrata Das and Umesh Dube.
Most of us have not seen him bowl and so we will see him in action on Friday
— Ashish Kapoor,coach, Board President’s XI