Never ‘no-balled’ pacer looks to torment the English

By IANS

Kolkata : Lanky fast bowler Ranadeb Bose, who has never "no-balled" in his 54-match first class career, looks to making opposition batsmen "uncomfortable to the extent of being tormented" during the upcoming England tour that will mark his international debut.


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Standing at 6 ft four inches, the strapping Bengal pacer says: "Even as a kid I liked the fact that my friends were afraid to face me. They were scared of me. They kind of hero-worshipped me. I enjoy making the batsmen feel uncomfortable, and that is how it has been all my life.

"I enjoy eyeball-to-eyeball contest, a little gamesmanship," Rana, a sobriquet he picked from his state-mates, told IANS Monday between his regimes at the gym at the Eden Gardens here.

"I like to see them (batsmen) tormented as I bowl. As a pace bowler there is nothing wrong in being a little arrogant but I never get personal with the batsman. I know it's a game and a gentleman's game.

"I am not afraid of being hit by a batsman. If he goes out of his way to hit me that means I am bowling well," Ranadeb said.

Ranadeb has everything that a fast bowler requires — height, build and raw aggression.

He has grown up admiring Pakistani legend Wasim Akram and South African 'White Lightning' Allan Donald.

"They are the best I have seen on the field. Any swing bowler would admire Akram. He had such a huge skill. And I fell for the attitude of Allan. The swagger, the arrogance combined with his discipline. All makes him so special."

After several near misses, Ranadeb's hard work paid off finally as he made into the Test squad for England. He is preparing hard and wants to make the most of the opportunity and not be a one-series wonder.

"Being selected for the Test squad is a huge honour and playing for the country would be a moment of pride. I would love to be remembered as someone who served his motherland well," Ranadeb said.

"In England the conditions should suit me. God willing I will be able to showcase my talent and convert it into wicket taking deliveries. After all, at the end of the day it is the wicket that you take which matters.

"(Presently) I am doing the physical stuff. I am training and gyming. I am not bowling for now. I am allowing myself to miss the cherry. I will again start bowling in a couple of days. When I go to England, I want to be fresh, ready and warmed-up to go straight to the field and bowl given a chance," he said.

Two years ago, former Indian coach Greg Chappell had called this Kolkata-born 28-year-old pacer for the conditioning camp in Bangalore with 29 other cricketers, supposed to be the cream of Indian cricket.

Chance finally came his way this year and is a due recognition to this swanky fast bowler who has a flowing action and a nice leap in the delivery stride and optimally uses his tall frame.

He has picked up his 194 first class wickets, including 54 in eight matches last season, at an average of 24.25 and an economy rate of 2.64 runs per over.

In his career, Ranadeb has bowled over 12,000 deliveries in first class and other official games but hasn't over-stepped even once.

Asked how he maintains the discipline, Rana said: "You can call it muscle memory. As a kid my coach Gopal Bose would shout at me if I overstepped. He wanted discipline. I made sure he did not shout at me. Then it became an unconscious habit. I often bowl from a little behind the popping crease, but never cross the line. If a bowl a front foot no-ball, I will surprise myself."

However, Ranadeb is conscious of the standards of international cricket too.

"I am aware that international cricket means much harder opposition and the standard of the game going up several notches. But I am mentally prepared to meet the Test," he said.

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