Kuldeep Sen hasn’t played since featuring for India in his only ODI against Bangladesh last December. He bowled just five overs before pulling out of the series due to a stiff back. Sen was only there in Bangladesh because Yash Dayal, initially selected in the squad, withdrew due to a lower back issue. Before playing against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday, Dayal’s last appearance came for Uttar Pradesh in a T20 game against Punjab in October.
On Thursday, CSK
Kuldeep Sen hasn’t played since featuring for India in his only ODI against Bangladesh last December. He bowled just five overs before pulling out of the series due to a stiff back. Sen was only there in Bangladesh because Yash Dayal, initially selected in the squad, withdrew due to a lower back issue. Before playing against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday, Dayal’s last appearance came for Uttar Pradesh in a T20 game against Punjab in October.
On Thursday, CSK announced that Mukesh Choudhary had been ruled out of the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) season owing to a stress fracture of the back. The left-armer hasn’t played since December.
Mohsin Khan, another left-armer, is set to miss the first few matches for Lucknow Super Giants, according to their coach Andy Flower. He hasn’t played a single game since IPL 2022, with a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery consigning him to the sidelines for almost a year now.
These were four of the most promising pacers that the IPL had thrown up in 2022. Choudhary was CSK’s highest wicket-taker with 16 scalps in 13 matches. Mohsin claimed 14 wickets for Lucknow Super Giants despite playing only nine games. Dayal was part of Gujarat Titans’ title-winning squad, claiming 11 wickets in nine games and lending a solid supporting hand to Mohammed Shami and Lockie Ferguson. Sen was the quickest of the lot, routinely touching speeds over 145kmph during his seven matches for Rajasthan Royals.
Their emergence seemed to be a glowing endorsement of the depth of India’s pace bowling stocks and evoked excitement about the future.
A year on since the league’s 15th edition though, they haven’t been able to kick on and make progress in the manner that was expected. They have all been blighted by injuries that have severely limited their game time. There are worrying signs beyond these four too.
Prasidh Krishna, for instance, has also been ruled out for the entire season due to the same injury that has Jasprit Bumrah and Choudhary in distress: a stress fracture of the back. He hasn’t played any cricket since India’s ODI tour of Zimbabwe last August. Having picked 25 wickets in 14 ODIs, Krishna was on his way to becoming a regular member of India’s frontline attack before injury struck. His ability had also earned lavish praise from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, but the 27-year-old is unlikely to return to action anytime soon.
Deepak Chahar has had two major injuries over the past 12 months, and he will have to proceed cautiously as he returns to the fold for CSK this season. While a back stress fracture resulted in him missing IPL 2022 and many other important assignments last year, his latest setback was a hamstring injury that curtailed him to bowling three overs during India’s second ODI against Bangladesh in December.
With no clear timeline for Bumrah’s return to action, in addition to the phasing out of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma, the status of India’s second rung of pacers paints a grim picture.
While Sen has recovered now, he has to quickly hit his stride and hope to build on the promise of last season. “Sen did make a lot of progress after the IPL last year given that he was selected for the Indian team. Because of injury, he was able to play only one match,” said Aril Anthony, who has been coaching the 26-year-old pacer from Madhya Pradesh since 2010. “He has been at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) most of the time. There’s work being done on his fitness training and on increasing his pace. His speed has gone up a little bit from last season. He is working on his line and length too.
“I spoke to him 2-3 days back. He said he may not play the first match as he wants to get a little bit more confidence under his belt. But it is up to the team management. Being his coach, I hope he gives his best this season and returns to the Indian team.”
In Mohsin’s case, his coach Mohammad Badruddin — he has also trained Mohammed Shami — said that the left-armer has worked his way back to training after a hugely stressful period. LSG coach Flower is treading warily. On Friday, he made it clear that they won’t push the 24-year-old.
“He had a shoulder injury right after IPL. First, we thought there would be no need for surgery,” said Badruddin. “But his injury didn’t heal. We wasted around two months because of that. Then he underwent surgery around six months ago. He has been training for the past month. It will take him a match or two to be ready. He hasn’t played for a year. But I hope he will show the form that he showed during the last IPL.”
According to the coaches, the answer to why India’s fast bowlers are breaking down so frequently lies in the demanding schedule and the absence of a proper off-season. “There’s too much cricket. The players don’t get adequate rest. The BCCI will have to plan and give rest from time to time to their fast bowlers. They need to be managed,” said Badruddin.
As Rohit has said recently though, it is eventually up to each player to take care of their bodies and manage their workloads. That’s advice that India’s fast bowlers will have to heed. Otherwise, they risk spending more time on the treatment table than on the field.
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