Ravi Rampaul’s advice for fast bowlers on flat pitches: Aim for Yorkers

As the white ball doesn’t swing much, what are other options for bowlers?
You can’t do much in the powerplay. Normally, in the powerplay with the new ball, they tend to use the swing. There isn’t much swing in these conditions in India. But when the pitch is this good and so conducive to batting, we fast bowlers try to take the pitch out of the equation and try to bowl more Yorkers. As we saw in the last game (3rd T20I in Indore), the percentage of Yorkers increased for both teams.

What is the role of Shamar Joseph, who is very quick?
Shamar has been one of our death bowlers. We used him in the World Cup and previous T20 games as a death bowler delivering that yorker. But seeing that the conditions are so good for batting, we try to use his extra pace in the powerplay and see if we can get some wickets using that pace and his aggression. So, that’s why his role changed.

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He’s one we look for in Test matches. And he’s now feeling his way in the white-ball game. So, definitely, with more experience and him understanding his strengths in the white-ball game, it will help him. Gaining the experience he will get in this series, I’m sure he’ll come back a much more experienced player who knows exactly what he needs to do in white-ball cricket.

Roston Chase has done very well. What works for him?
I think his consistency. Roston plans a lot regarding his bowling and the opposition. But in this series, he is trying to do different things. As you can see, he tries to bowl a lot of Yorkers now, seeing that the pitch isn’t spinning or doing anything. So, he has a variety of skills.

West Indies bowling coach Ravi Rampaul. (X)

How do you think balance between bat and ball can be brought?
Obviously, the pitches have a lot to do with it. Because we need assistance, whether it be swing, a little more grass on the pitch or a little bit slower, where the spinners can come into play with slower balls. That’s the only way you can get bowlers coming into the game. I can’t say much more, but we know how good these pitches and surfaces are. So, we just have to find a way to compete as a bowling group.

Who is the most impressive bowler from India for you?
Arshdeep Singh has been doing well as a fast bowler. With the new ball, we can see that he tries to use all his variations. When he bowls, the slower balls are effective. He is not afraid of using his Yorkers in the powerplay as well.

Despite hitting lesser number of sixes in this series, how does India achieve big scores?
They are not big six hitters. But they find a way to get boundaries and rotate the strike. And they try to score all around the ground. Not just one particular area.