Bharat Arun eyes players for all seasons

KOLKATA: It seems Bharat Arun is keen to bring in the outlook of the national side in franchise cricket. Roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the upcoming IPL season, the former India bowling coach harped on the importance of adaptability factor. "See, with the Indian side, our goal was always to be No. 1 in any conditions. To be able to achieve that objective, I think the biggest challenge was to have bowlers who could get to 20 wickets in all conditions.We did exactly that, and that's why we were successful," he stated during an interaction.
Arun thus felt the uncertainty over the IPL venues should not be an issue for the team management when they sit to pick players in the mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. "You need to pick players who can adapt to different conditions. Even before the pandemic, when you picked bowlers for home conditions, you still needed them to play seven away games in the IPL," he said.
However, he also emphasised on having good bench strength. "I think it is extremely important to build your bench strength. Especially in this pandemic situation, where bubble life is tough, you need backups for any unforeseen situations. Because of the uncertainties, we need a bigger squad nowadays," he felt.
Contrary to popular belief, the former India pacer is hopeful of seeing bowlers doing well in the shortest format of the game too. "I would say that there lies an opportunity for a bowler to excel. Yes, there are limitations for bowlers (in this format). But again, if they execute and if they can build a little more guile around their bowling, they have a chance to be a hero," he remarked.