The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly asked the Indian fast bowlers participating in the ongoing IPL 2023 to increase their workload, while a section of Indian cricketers has been told to take care of their fitness, bodies, avoid overexertion and monitor the volume of work.
Cricbuzz reported that BCCI has given the bowlers specific targets on the volume of bowling they need to do during the IPL, particularly during the second half of the league as each of them mostly only send down about four overs a day during or in the build-up to a match.
Coming into the second half of the IPL 2023, Indian bowlers would be seen working more in the nets, maybe even with the red ball, keeping in mind the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which will be played just a week after the IPL ends
India is scheduled to face off against Australia in the WTC 2023 final from June 7-11 at the Oval in London.
There’s Still Time For The WTC Final: Mohammad Shami
The Indian pacers have been given a target of 200 deliveries a week and report the same to the concerned authorities, keeping workload management in mind. The idea behind the suggestion is apparently to make them well-prepared for the WTC final.
“It is important that the bowlers have enough workload under their belt before the WTC final, 200 or 175… they must go to the WTC well prepared,” said Bharat Arun, India’s former bowling coach.
The thinking behind giving each bowler a specific target is that optional practices and regular travel would mean they may not be necessarily working every day. In the build-up to the IPL, there have been varied versions from the players regarding the way the workload is to be managed during the IPL, a high-octane tournament that entails a lot of travel.
Mohammad Shami said he knows what is expected of him to stay fit.
“There’s still time for the WTC Final and the World Cup and as a player, it is not possible to think that long-term. You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. You need to be smart in terms of managing your workload. When you play international cricket, you know how much you need to work on. You understand your body well and that’s why you should not think long term and take it series by series. I know my body well and can handle workload, so I am taking it match by match,” the India pacer said recently.