New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) Former India fast bowler Niranjana Nagarajan has compared rising pacer Kranti Gaud’s bowling action to that of veteran men’s speedster Mohammed Shami and hailed her smooth run-up, as she picked up a historic five-wicket haul in India’s unforgettable 270-run Test triumph over England at Lord’s.
Kranti picked 5‑37 in 17 overs as India got a crucial 115-run lead on day two’s play and became the first woman to earn a place on the Lord’s honours boards. Before Kranti, the likes of BS Chandrasekhar, Bishan Singh Bedi and Kapil Dev registered themselves on the honours board in the away dressing room list of bowlers with five‑wicket hauls.
"It's such a proud moment as a fast bowler for me to have Kranti Gaud writing her name on the Honours board and Yastika to get the name again as a centurion. So, these are the moments that we play and watch cricket for. I saw Kranti, a couple of years back when MP (Madhya Pradesh) won the domestic one-day trophy.
“I thought this girl was going to go up the ladder and definitely had the potential to represent the country, purely because of the fact that the run-up was so smooth. When you look at Kranti bowl, you will see that she is very smooth. The error percentage is very less considering her action. Definitely, she just needs to concentrate bowling only on the length areas and it happens automatically with her action because it is so smooth.
“It is so nice to watch her bowl, come and hit the seam. I always felt that her action is a little resembling Mohammed Shami. The way she loads, the way she releases the ball and everything - it is so nice," Niranjana told IANS in an exclusive conversation.
She also credited the team management’s faith in nurturing Kranti’s steady rise in just 13 months of her playing international cricket. “She has developed as a player over the last one and a half years. Harman once said that we need a pack of pace bowlers whom we can trust and give the ball to. Definitely, she has had the backup of management backing her. Her talent couldn't be ignored.
“Her service to the Indian team so far has been fantastic. In this last Test match, especially the way she ran in, the way she delivered the ball in the right area. From there, the ball hit the seam. In and out, she was able to deliver both. So, I think she has a long way to go. She has gotten stronger. She is mentally a little more capable of handling pressure now. She looks lean, sharp - typically, that is how a fast bowler should be nurtured and nourished.
"Whenever I see somebody doing well, it makes me feel happy. I think the hunger is there in her and that is the main thing for a fast bowler. I wish her all the very best and she should continue to do this good work. It was a wholesome moment when I saw her talking to her parents back home from Lord’s. It was really good and may she continue to do well for the country. She is special, definitely and should be playing for India at least for the next 7-8 years, if I am right,” elaborated Niranjana.
Apart from Kranti, Yastika Bhatia’s knock of was equally significant, as her 113 – also her maiden international century, made her the first woman to hit a hundred in a Test match at Lord’s. It also came on the back of Yastika missing India's victorious 2025 ODI World Cup campaign due to a knee injury requiring ACL surgery and having an indifferent time in this year’s T20 World Cup.
“It is never easy to come out of injuries. You will have your self-doubts. Slowly, you will start hearing what people are saying about the injuries. Every day, you will feel like, when will I go back and get to bat in the field? The process is also slow. You need to get the day to return to play. Everything is there. It is a mental battle and she has done really well to come out of that.
“She has kept up the trust that the management has shown on her. Honestly, this really came as a surprise package. We knew she was always capable. She was not in a great state and didn’t look in a good form - let us be honest. What has differentiated her here is the mental strength that she has shown to survive through those 100 runs. Coming out of that injury, that speaks a lot about how resilient she is. That speaks a lot about her character. Sometimes, when you play Test cricket, you need character.
“You need to shut the noise outside and keep your head cool. You need to focus on one particular ball at a time. It is not going to be easy. Maybe for a bowler, it is 6 balls in an over. You can come back and pick up a wicket even if you are getting hit for a couple of boundaries. But for a batter in a Test game, there is only one chance. If you are out, you are just going to go back to the pavilion. She stuck to her plan and has announced herself in Test cricket. This is just a humble beginning for her and I think she has a long way to go,” added Niranjana, who played two Tests, 22 ODIs and 14 T20Is for India.
She also pointed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) strategic reintroduction of the domestic multi-day tournament as the deciding factor behind India's recent superlative results in Tests.
“England might not be in the radar of playing domestic red-ball games. But definitely, they are more experienced in terms of playing Test cricket because they have played more Test games than India in the recent past. They play the Ashes regularly and they got their experience in it and were playing in home conditions as well.
"But the point I would like to signify here is definitely the fact that multi-day format was introduced in the domestic structure back home - that has provided a lot of help in terms of preparation mentally, how to leave the ball or probably how to grind through the innings and it's a battle of patience.
“In Test cricket, you definitely need to keep bowling at probably 7-8 overs without a wicket. You have to be really patient when it comes to being a batter or bowler. So, these things when the girls have already done back home in domestic and are used to at least get the feel of it,” she said.
Hence, it was no surprise to Niranjana, who played a huge part in the 2014 Wormsley Test win over England, that India managed to get a thumping victory at Lord’s. “The BCCI has taken great efforts in terms of women's cricket over the last 5-6 years, especially since the emergence of WPL. One thing that has also changed is that I have always felt that there should be a multi-day format at the inter-zonal level.
“When I played, there was in 2017-18, a multi-day inter-zonal format. Post that, we didn't have one for the next 2-3 years. Covid-19 came and post that, even for a couple of years, we didn't have. But in the last few years, they did introduce the longer format and it did give the girls the idea to play longer innings, and survive through the day on the field, how to construct an innings and how to get mentally stronger to grind through the phases.
“So definitely, BCCI has given a base for the girls to know what longer format is all about. When the domestic base is strong, Virat (Kohli) once mentioned how it is that players are so good. Recently, he was interviewed and he said we have a very strong Ranji Trophy system back home. That is where we are able to produce good Test cricketers.
“I think the similar thing holds here. Maybe 2-3 years ago, the girls did not have an idea about what the longer format was. Now, the girls definitely have an idea of what the longer format is. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a special camp which is introduced, especially for the longer format girls.
“Probably very technically sound or some bowler is just hitting the length continuously. They can be hand-picked and they can just be prepared for Test cricket. These are all measures probably that will happen in the near future. But the domestic system back home has definitely had an impact.”
Asked whether multi-day red-ball structures should be pushed further down to the age-group levels to sustain this supply of talent, Niranjana advocated for a cautious approach, adding that the Under-23 level is the sweet spot for specialised red-ball development.
“Probably U-19, I wouldn't suggest because it is still an age category where you are evolving as cricketers. So, maturity levels might be slightly lesser because when you play senior inter-zonals, you see a lot of U-23 cricketers being a part of the squad. So, a separate U-23 inter-zonal tournament might not be necessary.
"But if it is done, probably the girls can have more opportunities. If you take any senior side, mostly 70 percent of the side is U-23 - max 25-26. So, for a separate kind of U-23, you can go for it. But U-19, let's just groom them and get them ready for the next level. For them to understand what Test cricket is, it will take some time. But for the U-23 level, we can probably try,” she concluded.
--IANS
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