Mumbai, March 19:For a team that has been enjoying one of the biggest highs in world cricket — beating Australia in their own backyard—- and is keenly eyeing the number one spot in Tests, the forthcoming tour against South Africa presents the perfect challenge. And it’s not just the players that are looking forward to the battle, the coaches are looking to take the next step forward as well.

Among them is Venkatesh Prasad, the bowling coach, who has undoubtedly worked wonders. Whether it is Irfan Pathan’s comeback, the taming of Sreesanth or even Ishant Sharma’s heroics Down Under, Prasad, the former India medium-pacer, has had a large role to play. He’s turned around what once appeared like a tumbling bowling arsenal into one of the world’s best. Now, he says, “it is time to test ourselves against a batting line-up that seems to be in tremendous form at the moment.”

SA’s broad bats

The likes of Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher and Neil McKenzie will be landing in India in a few days time. Smith and McKenzie, fresh from a world-record partnership, de Villiers and Kallis looking to get back into form and Boucher, ever the pacemaker, will be up against an attack comprising Sreesanth, Pathan and Munaf, apart from the spinners.

“This will be a good challenge. Our bowlers are mentally in a very strong position and they need to carry on from here. We have a very balanced attack and a strong bench that will keep pushing the players and that’s definitely a very good sign,” says Prasad.

The Indian team bowled in Australia at venues such as Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, where conditions were different from each other, some helpful and a few plain dead tracks. In India, says Prasad, “the real test will begin.”

While they have been bred on these Indian wickets, “the important thing is how well these bowlers can readjust themselves to the changing conditions.”

The Tests will be played at Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kanpur — none of which are too kind to seamers. Prasad feels that it will finally depend on how well the bowlers can stick to the basics. “Normally, it is possible that when you’ve seen the advantage of bowling on tracks that are more helpful, you tend to slide with a few basics. If the bowler can understand that, use his strengths well and concentrate on the variation, then it definitely gets better,” he says.

Gaining a reputation

If Prasad’s reputation as coach needs to be analysed in detail, his stint with the India Under-19 team during the 2006 World Cup in Sri Lanka is the best place to begin. Not just the bowlers, but the team itself that reached the final of the tournament had minced no words about Prasad being the best when it comes to man-management skills and inspiration, while being uncompromising, technically sound and a patient listener.

With the Indian team too, there’s little doubt the former medium-pacer has been applying a similar approach. “The mental aspect is very important. I am personally concentrating only on the upcoming series against South Africa and nothing else,” he says.

But Prasad adds that it doesn’t mean that he needs to keep advising the bowlers or teaching them. “They are talented and that’s why they’re playing for India. My job is to ensure that there is a positive attitude floating around. If a bowler is bowling well, he needs to be given the opportunity and left alone. Only if he feels that he needs to work on something particular that special attention needs to be given. It’s about how you manage your resources,” he says, most of it, insisting, is about a give and take relationship.

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