Simons says

*They are the five guys who have been really knocking on the door. PK is new to the Test team. Munaf has come back to Test cricket but he’s earned his place back the hard way. But you are starting to see a lot of young bowlers make a name and it is really exciting. I recently worked with Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron at Delhi Daredevils but there are other names as well,such as Abhimanyu Mithun,who has got a big tick against his name after the West Indies tour. It’s great for India to see the reservoir of fast bowlers who are out there. The five who are going to England have definitely earned their spots.

Has Eric Simons finally settled down with the Indian bowlers?

*Very comfortable and very settled. If I reflect back on my time,I probably have learnt as much as I have taught some of the guys. Others will see things a certain way,and I will see things a certain way. We need to and have found a common ground and that’s really been the journey. And it’s very much become a family as I see it and feel about it.

When you started,did you take each fast bowler aside and try to work them separately?

*The natural tendency is make an early impression and say something clever. Or have the bowler go and say I have learnt something from this guy as supposed to let me just watch them for a while. I learned to watch them closely. We have allowed our friendships and relationships to evolve over time. I asked them who their coaches were and what was important to them. Bowlers need checkpoints. So I would try and ask them what they were thinking and what they thought was going wrong in the middle and try and understand them as bowlers. The more I can understand them as individuals,the more I can have those one-on-one relationships and influence it.

Considering you were an outsider,was it difficult replacing someone like Venkatesh Prasad as bowling coach?

*I didn’t know what happened to Venky and how exactly he left. I wasn’t aware of their relationships. The best way to say is that our relationships evolved. Naturally when I came in,they didn’t know who I was. I didn’t have an Allan Donald type of career as a bowler in terms of my reputation. One has to gain confidence and it was crucial in our relationships. What I have found from the Indian cricketers across the board is that they are always trying to learn. So I am sure Venky would have done a great job with the guys and they have learnt from him. But I never ever felt any resistance and I was welcome completely. They have an incredible willingness to learn and absorb information and ask questions.

Which bowler do you see playing an important role in England?

*What excites me is the unit of bowlers across the board. It almost doesn’t bother me which group we select. Just think that there are so many bowlers bowling well,that if someone can’t play or the conditions suit somebody in particular,then I don’t think that we will be weakening our attack regardless of what combination we go in with,whether it is 3-1 or 2-2. Certainly those are conditions where S Sreesanth can do really well and be effective. I think back to the delivery he bowled to Jacques Kallis at Durban. There are few who can do that. So I think he’s going to play a crucial role in England,but I won’t rule out any of the other four,either. It will be an exiciting tour.

Best indian seam attack,eric analyses why

S sreesanth

Sreesanth is coming back from injury. We will know where he is in terms of England after the practice match. He is a very talented guy and I hope he arrives there up to speed. He is a swing bowler and I would like him to bowl a fuller length. I would like to see him make them drive. Sree bowled a spell against Australia at Bangalore and I said to him,‘this is one of the best spells of fast bowling I have seen.’ He was reversing the ball in and reversing the ball away. It was magnificent. And there are few in the world who can do that. He’s incredibly talented. We make him understand his game-plan and when he is most effective. You also don’t want to take it (the drama) out of him. That’s what makes the man special. He’s an artist in so many ways. He’s a flamboyant personality and people love him. The game needs him.

Munaf patel

I hope Munaf Patel can make a good stake at Test claim in England. He has natural bounce and is actually a natural athlete. He is a casual-looking guy,but when he runs in at pace and does something,he is quicker than what most people think. Now it’s almost like being a debutant. I have never seen him play Test cricket. We have spoken about how he will change from ODIs to Test. Injuries were unfortunate.

Munaf is a revelation and hopefully I have influenced him but have learnt a lot from him. The way he embarks on a game,thinks about it. He is in control of his emotions. He is a mature guy. He says little things to me at times that make me go ‘wow’. In many ways he is one of the leaders of the attack. Munaf is the leader here. He may seem casual,but I don’t want to shake him. Hence,I am happy with exactly where Munaf is.

He has natural bounce. He can be effective by keeping a fuller length. He is going to be a handful if conditions suit him in England.

But whether we play him and Ishant together will depend on the conditions. Would you play two Glenn McGraths together? The captain has a nice basket of choices.

His return is exciting because I see a Munaf who loves playing cricket and works hard. He doesn’t see himself as a superstar. He doesn’t see himself as a World Cup winner claiming glory. He comes across as a guy who is very grateful with what he has got.

Zaheer khan

For Zaheer Khan,this break from cricket has been a blessing in disguise. It’s not only a physical one,but also a mental and emotional break. He had played a lot of cricket going into the IPL from the World Cup,and it must have been difficult for him. To see him play with so much passion as he did in the IPL was amazing. The rigours of Test cricket are tough on anybody. He is also somebody who understands his body really well. If he was a young bowler,just that one warm-up game in England could have been a concern,but he is a bowler who knows himself very well.

As a bowling coach,I might notice something different. A few suggestions that I have spoken to him are mainly about bowling around the stumps to right handers. It’s not really worked for him in terms of the angle he comes in with. He is a different bowler because of his wrist position. He can swing the ball just from his wrist. He is one of the guys I have come across who knows his action so well. His ability to bowl from a short run,and at the same pace,tells you he knows his action because not many guys can do it.

He also has the ability to fix things out there in the middle,instead of expecting to analyse it during the lunch or tea breaks. Zaheer has that ability. When he is preparing for a match he is very focussed on his job. He has his ‘process’,but in terms of tactics. During meetings,he has his say.

His ability is not just to claim an important wicket or two when the match is heading nowhere,but to also inspire the young. What he actually does in terms of breakthroughs is of course crucial. But to go to a young bowler and calm him down when he’s under pressure and to say,‘I have been there before and this is maybe an idea and a thought’ is outstanding. Zaheer is crucial to lead a group of pacers. He’s got incredible ability technically and one learns from people like that. But it’s also who he is and the importance of it. It is also very encouraging to see the guys take up the mantle when he’s not been there. They have recognised the role that Zaheer plays and it’s good to see someone step up whenever he is not available.

Ishant sharma

ISHANT Sharma will be a real handful in England if he bowls with the control he’s got now. His ability to get bounce off the pitch from a fuller length is crucial in a place like England. He’s got the ability to extract life out of a wicket that will otherwise be classified as really dead.

The control in Ishant’s bowling is back,as is the confidence. The no-balls are disappearing. He’s going to start finding the pace that he has. To try and bowl quicker when you haven’t got confidence,doesn’t work. So now I think he’ll start bowling consistently at 140,141,142 and that’s just going to add to his strength. In other words,if they prepare wickets that are going to suit their bowlers,then we can exploit that.

With time we have formed a bond,and he’s worked hard on it,it’s clicked and it’s made sense to him. He’s nicked a few out,and it’s starting to work. So we got him running from a wider angle without changing his action. He is now bowling down the line of his feet rather than across his body.

And his seam is still in such a great position. I think he’s learnt to be patient.

He’s just 22 and got such a great future ahead. Everyone just needs to be patient with him. Ishant is a bowler who needs to bowl a little short of length when he is in good rhythm and finding that right length will be the key. It’s more a case of building the foundations solid,so that the pace can improve. The consistency is just great at the moment.

Praveen kumar

Praveen Kumar will be a massive asset for us in English conditions. And,I don’t think the England’s players like that kind of pace. He gets the ball to swing both ways; just nibble away around the corridor,and they lose their off-stump. Six months ago,we wouldn’t have thought he would be going to England. That happened on the back of what he’s done already in Test cricket. PK could play a big role. One thing that stands out for me is PK’s patience. Like for example in Jamaica,being prepared to bowl just out-swing for a full over,or two. I think that sometimes what the batsman doesn’t want is the right tactic. You need to think like him.

In Test cricket,we stressed upon him the importance of patience. The importance of bowling to your field,how a batsman is thinking. And the key thing of Test cricket is that just possessing the variation is a variation in itself. PK has that.