India fast bowler Mohammed Shami was recently told by the BCCI that he had to restrict his participation in a Ranji Trophy game for Bengal to 15 overs per innings against Kerala. I wonder how fast bowling gurus the world over would react to that. With due respect to workload management and modern methods of coaching, this appeared bizarre. Sure, a fast bowler cannot be used as a workhorse by his state captain especially before a major tour of Australia, but to grant your fast bowler permission to play domestic cricket with a rider was preposterous.

Thankfully, the cricketer knew what's best for him and bowled more than 20 overs in Bengal's first innings — 26, to be precise, for three wickets. He sent down another three in the second innings. "The more you bowl here, the more it will help in Australia. It was good preparation. For me, bowling in a match is the best preparation. I prefer that any day," Shami said at the Eden Gardens. The advancement in fitness modules must be welcomed and respected. We all marvel at the supreme athleticism modern-day cricketers display, a far cry to what we used to see on our black-and-white television sets, which often showed us images of sloppy fielding and tardy chases to the boundary.