Ryan Harris speaks about how Australian pacers benefit from the MRF Pace Academy

Former Australian quick Ryan Harris is in India for the celebration of MRF pace academy’s 25 glorious years. Harris, who played only 27 Tests but took 113 wickets at an average of 23.52, and hung his boots in 2015 due to persistent injuries, spoke about his favorite batsmen and his transition to a coach. Harris, despite not having played many Tests, is largely credit for the transition of Australian Test cricket.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Harris explained the importance of man management and skill management, citing that the coach has to adapt to the differences in each individual because everyone does not bring the same skills to the table. He also said that a player can exceed when he is able to adapt to the ideas of the coach.

“Each individual is different. The coach has to accommodate each individual. Skills coaches are there to make the players better in their skills. If the player wants to learn and the coaches make him feel better, that is the day they reach the peak of their career.” Harris said.

The batsman that he found toughest 

When asked to name the batsmen he found the toughest to bowl, Harris singled Kevin Pietersen. Harris said, “I have bowled to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, Kevin Pietersen. They are all class batsmen.” But agreed that he found it toughest to bowl Pietersen because he is a ‘big guy.’

He also spoke about his association with the Chennai based MRF Pace Foundation, which has been nurturing some of the country’s finest fast bowlers. Recently, three of their current bowlers, Basil Thampi, Aniket Chowdhary and Ankit Rajpoot got selected for India A tour to South Africa.

“The importance of this academy has been huge. Players from either countries have had a great opportunity. Over the years, the number of players coming has increased. This is a good experience for young guys to adapt to tough conditions in India. One of the big things in Australia is that we want to come to India and win. We were competitive in the last series but failed to win. This academy gives youngsters a chance to acclimatise to conditions which are different from Australia.” Harris added.