“They are always motivated – whether it is good times or bad times. They back you and tell you what next steps you should take. As a youngster, this really helps you, because when you are on the field – in a pressure situation – they help you out a lot.”
“With the new ball, I’ve practiced a lot with Morne [Morkel, the bowling coach], and also talk a lot with Arshdeep [Singh],” Rana said. “He has a lot of experience, and he helps me in practices by telling how I should bowl better.”
Fast bowlers have also been able to pose more of a threat this year with the ICC changing the rules of ODI cricket. Though all 50-over matches start with two new balls, at the start of the 35th over, the bowling team gets to decide which one they’ll keep for the rest of the innings.
“You know that the bowlers don’t get as much help in today’s cricket,” Rana said. “This rule has been very helpful for us, because that one older ball, we always keep in the back of our minds. Whichever ball is older after the 34th [over], we try and focus on that. And about choosing the ball, that all of us do. Whoever feels which ball is older.
“In India, bowling is different because the variations are what you have to depend on. In each phase, you have to bowl differently in different roles: sometimes attacking, sometimes defensive.”
India may be considering a change in their middle order for Wednesday with Rishabh Pant and Tilak Varma getting a long hit against net bowlers with assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate watching on.
