5 India bowlers who would have loved to bowl with the Pink Ball

The 2016 edition of the Duleep Trophy is perhaps the most anticipated Duleep Trophy in recent times in India. Of course, apart from it being a different tournament, it is clear that the viewership of the upcoming championship is expected to be something of a groundbreaker. With the Pink Ball all set to make an entry into the historic competition, it remains to be seen how exactly the players manage to respond to the newly designed five ounces of Kookaburra. That said, here are the five bowlers who would love to have been bowling with the pink ball, but would not be due to their own predicament. 1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Bhuvneshwar Kumar of India celebrates taking 5 West Indies wickets for 33 runs. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a different bowler altogether when the ball is swinging and we have seen that the pink ball moves around a bit more than the red dukes ball traditionally used. Also check out – 5 Things to look forward to in MS Dhoni – The Untold Story However, at the moment, it seems as though the 26-year old Indian pacer will not have the opportunity this time around as he will be fulfilling his duties with the Indian national team during the ongoing tour of the West Indies. Although he was benched for the first three Test matches, Kumar made a terrific comeback to the side in the fourth Test only to claim a five-wicket haul as he did. He would have certainly been itching to make a mark in the Duleep Trophy, a tournament where he could have gauged his swinging abilities with the pink ball. 2. Ishant Sharma: Ishant Sharma of India. (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) Similar to Bhuvi, Ishant Sharma will also not be getting a chance to test his skills with the revolutionary pink ball. While the fact remains that he would not care much for the domestic tournaments given his mammoth achievements at the Test match level, it is certainly clear that he would love to use the pink ball. Sharma is the only bowler in the Indian cricket team who boasts of over 200 Test wickets. As many have stated, he is a workhorse and is blessed with height and incredible stamina. Moreover, the fact that he is the leader of the pace attack rules him out completely of taking part in the Duleep Trophy. Also check out – Fake Fb wall: Indian team for the T20Is vs West Indies announced Although he is not a genuine swinger of the ball, Sharma is well versed in the theory of reverse swing. Having been a protégé to Zaheer Khan in the past, the 27-year old will be looking to bowl with the pink ball in the near future. 3. Praveen Kumar: India’s Praveen Kumar bowls. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images) Praveen Kumar’s rise and fall with the Indian cricket team has been a well documented one. An important member of the side when MS Dhoni took over the reins as skipper, his decline has seen him become a prominent part of his domestic side and in the IPL. A wily bowler with the ability to swing the ball in both directions, fall outs with the Board as well as his disciplinary issues eventually saw his contract being cancelled by the Board. Since then, although he has played a few domestic tournaments, it is certainly clear that he will never play for India again. He will also not feature in the Duleep Trophy. However, Praveen would have loved to bowl with the pink ball, something that he will be able to do only in domestic cricket. Also read – 17 Interesting Facts about Praveen Kumar – The journeyman of swing 4. RP Singh: Indian bowler RP Singh bowls. (Photo by TONY ASHBY/AFP/Getty Images) When he made his debut, no one could swing the ball as viciously as Rudra Pratap Singh. A left-arm seamer RP was tipped to be the natural successor to the ageing Indian bowling unit consisting of Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, and Ajit Agarkar. Things came to halt in England when the Indians under Anil Kumble were supremely successful. It was here that RP Singh made the most of his success with the new ball. However, as fate had it, a dip in form saw the southpaw relegated to the labyrinth of the Indian domestic circuit. The Duleep Trophy disappointment is something that RP is going to have to deal with. In spite of making an impact with the ball in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Singh has now found himself back in the domestic maze, and the probability of him bowing with the pink ball remains a mystery. 5. Irfan Pathan: Irfan Pathan When Irfan Pathan burst on the scene in 2003, the Australian batsmen simply had no answer to the swing the 19-year old brought to the table. That series was by far the best of the tours the Indians had been a part of and they had unearthed two stars – Irfan Pathan and Parthiv Patel. The left-arm seamer, however, lost out his place from the due to injuries and the ball was no longer swinging like it would. However, despite this, the southpaw has been supremely phenomenal in Ranji Trophy cricket. He picked 14 wickets in 3 games last season for Baroda and also made a massive impact in other domestic tournaments including the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. The 31-year old has now been left out in the cold for the Ranji Trophy. In addition, the fact that the Duleep Trophy will now be played with the Pink Ball will rub salt into the wounds. With his ability to swing the ball as viciously as he can, Irfan would have been licking his lips at the prospect of bowling with the pink ball. Also Watch: Irfan Pathan shatter the stumps with an inswinger in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

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5 India bowlers who would have loved to bowl with the Pink Ball

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