Power training, medicine-ball training...do them all to gain speed

Fast bowlers are not magicians. You have to learn one skill at a time

Raj Agrawal (Right-arm medium pacer)

My natural action is in-swing. What should I do to bowl out-swing?
Your stock ball is the in-swinger, so you have to master that first. Once you master that, you will have the confidence to bowl in-swing regularly. You must have a nice wrist position to bowl an out-swing. It won’t happen overnight, it will come through practice. The coaches will help you with how to bowl different balls, but you can’t learn everything in one day. Fast bowlers are not magicians. You have to learn one skill at a time.

Manav Mistry (Right-arm medium pacer)

How to bowl a knuckle ball and at what stage of the match should you bowl it?
There are so many slower balls in cricket nowadays. When I was playing, we had maybe two slower balls. If the knuckle ball is your best delivery, then you have to bowl it without any hesitation. There is no basic technique to bowl a knuckle ball, but when you hold the ball, you have to get your fingers down at the last minute. Your fingers need to be strong. It’s like back spin, so once you spin with the same speed, you are able to control the ball and bowl it. There are so many ways—split fingers, cross seam etc.

Jay Kanabar (Right-arm medium pacer)

How should I increase my pace?
There are many ways to increase pace. An important aspect is physical fitness.There are specific exercises for fast bowlers, power training and medicine-ball training. Your bowling technique and action also play an important role to increase your pace. Also, you must have core strength to bowl 145kmph.

Shreyas Pawar (Left-arm pacer)

How can I bowl yorkers consistently?
You have to practise hard. You need to set specific targets. If you want to bowl wicket-to-wicket yorkers or wide yorkers, then you have to practise that specifically. The skill is the number one aspect. You can’t do everything by bowling five to six overs,you have to practise the same thing for hours and hours. Practice makes you perfect all the time. Fast bowling is all about rhythm.

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