— Photo: S. Subramanium

TIME TO CELEBRATE: R.P. Singh, one of the young crop of pace bowlers, had a memorable outing at Rajkot.

Rajkot: Curious eyes followed them everywhere. From the road across the team hotel, from behind those huge gates, from the top of the buildings encircling the stadium. There were people screaming at the top of their voice, hands reaching out, emotions laid bare. The players were the cynosure in Rajkot.

The Big time cricketing caravan had travelled into a small town ambience. Amidst a blaze of colour, there was an air of festivity and celebration. The atmosphere has a distinct buzz and a flavour about it. Not too long ago, Rudra Pratap Singh might have watched international cricketers from one of those dusty towns in Uttar Pradesh. Now he was among the stars. In the caravan of life, anything is possible.

Cricket has spread its wings in the country. Somebody like R.P. Singh can take flight in the field of dreams. And even walk up to receive the Player of the Match award!

Among his four victims here on Wednesday was Upul Tharanga, consumed by a peach of a delivery. On a barren surface, it must have taken a huge effort from the paceman to extract the kind of bounce that left the Sri Lankan batsman surprised and defeated.

Strong lad

R.P. Singh is a strong lad. He is a left-armer with powerful shoulders. He is also someone with possibilities. His arrival on the international stage confirms the fact that the pace bowling scene in the country is a happening one. There is depth and talent. The boys are eager and hungry.

Given the maze of international matches scheduled, there are too many pacemen disappearing in a haze of injuries. The replacements have to be ready. And they have to be tested in match situations.

In the land of spin, more pacemen than spinners are surfacing. Indian cricket is witnessing a transformation on the bowling front. On the dustbowl in Rajkot, it is a paceman who lands the top prize!

Now, R.P. Singh is no accident. He has risen through the ranks, played his part in the India under-19 side, and poached a bucket of wickets in domestic cricket. He and V.R.V. Singh were sent by the National Cricket Academy to Australia this year as part of the Gavaskar-Border scholarship.

His speed is not express, but he hits the deck. If he learns to bowl different lengths on different wickets, he could be a handful. His future could also hinge on whether he is able seam the delivery back into the right-hander consistently.

Promising

S. Sreesanth is quicker than R.P Singh. The Kerala boy has a useful short-pitched delivery. When he bowls further up, he swings the ball. He honed his skills at the MRF Pace Foundation and Chappell rates him promising.

There is a feeling of thought, not without reason or logic, that it would be a better idea to field experienced pacemen on Indian wickets since the morale of someone fresh to international cricket could get dented on the pitches in these parts. Singh and Sreesanth have been up to the challenge, but they were also helped by the ordinary form and confidence of the Lankans.

The selectors and the team-management were bold in their methods and were rewarded for it.

But then, the selectors took a chance with V.R.V. Singh's fitness and ended up with egg on their faces. It's sad that the Punjab bowler missed out this time. He can work up speed, gain bounce and movement, and has a useful yorker in his repertoire. His time should come.

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