The moment has come, in the opinion of departing India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, for the management to talk about future plans with Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami. Due to injury, Shami, who finished first in the ODI World Cup 2023 in terms of wicket-taking, hasn’t played in a match since. He is presently practicing at the NCA with the goal of playing again in September. While Ashwin, who is 37 years old, is a vital member of the Indian Test team and has participated in over 100 red-ball cricket matches, there is no assurance as to how long he will be able to contribute.
Mhambrey believes that investing in kids is appropriate at this time. While he did not advocate for a complete change, he did want Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh to be part of Gautam Gambhir’s new management team in order to combine youth with experience. While all is going on, Ashwin and Shami appear to have no plans to retire, especially with the World Test Championship final and the highly anticipated Test series against Australia scheduled for next summer.
It’s critical to talk with Shami and Ashwin about their future goals and to develop a plan afterward. We made sure young people weren’t left to handle all of the obligations alone in the park when we made the decision to invest in them.
We made sure that both Avesh and Arshdeep were constantly bowling with more experienced bowlers, Paras Mhambrey told the Times of India.
The former cricket player added that before putting the young players in Test matches, a proper plan should be in place and they shouldn’t be hurried. He went on to say that a rookie player in red-ball cricket frequently requires four to five years to establish himself, and he wants the team management to allow them that time.
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That cannot be given a timeframe. It requires patience on your part. We began in 2015, and by 2020, we had that pool. Arshdeep’s progression is seen in his participation in the 2018 U-19 World Cup and his 2022 India national team stint before he truly rose to prominence in 2024. It takes a young pace bowler four to five years to reach his prime. You can’t just shove them through,” Mhambrey stated.