New Delhi, Sep 1 : This month, India will return to red-ball action with the Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru and Anantapur. The Rohit Sharma-led side will then mark the start of their home international season with five Tests on home soil - two against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand.

However, the biggest challenge they face in their quest for entering their third straight World Test Championship final is holding on to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, during their upcoming trip to Australia. Unsurprisingly, all eyes will be on India's fast bowlers, who have played a significant role in the historic back-to-back series victories in Australia.

The lack of depth in India's fast-bowling reserves has become a talking point with the Australia tour less than 100 days away. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, no other Indian player has emerged as a dependable fourth or even fifth fast bowler in the past few years.

'According to me, we need at least half a dozen bowlers in Australia to play five Test matches. You already have three. Four is really good for you. It's not fair on my part to name just a few bowlers, but all I can tell you is there are enough bowlers who have promised quite a bit and who are capable of playing for India in the longer format. But the biggest challenge is to bowl enough number of overs in the Duleep Trophy and in the competitions leading up to the Test matches for them to be match fit and ready,' said Bharat Arun, former India men's bowling coach, to IANS.

The upcoming Duleep Trophy, starting on September 5, will test the depth of India's fast-bowling options in the absence of Bumrah (rested), Shami (ankle injury rehab), and Siraj (illness). Indian cricket's decision makers will closely watch proceedings in Bengaluru and Anantapur to identify standout fast-bowlers who can strengthen the Test team's dominance in overseas conditions.

'Everybody has not played much of cricket in the last two-three months except for some (state-based) T20 tournaments. Then India is going to Australia later this year, and next year, they will go to England. So, if they do well in the Duleep Trophy, they can stake a claim in the Test team. India has got a good bunch of fast bowlers, if one is looking at T20.'

'But Test match cricket is a different ball game altogether, because you have to bowl at least 15-18 overs in a day. For that, your fitness, stamina and aerobic capacity should be good. But we have to wait and see how the Duleep Trophy turns out, as a lot of people will play this time because they are all free, and it is not clashing with any international matches. So, those who want to play Test cricket, they will definitely come and play,' said TA Sekar, a former India pacer and fast-bowling coach, to IANS.

Since 2023, India handed Test debuts to Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna and Akash Deep. Someone like Avesh Khan gained overseas conditions exposure through 'A' team series, while Arshdeep Singh is also eagerly waiting for an opportunity to play Test cricket. Arun believes India has enough fast-bowling options but stressed on pacers bowling enough red-ball overs before going to Australia.

'There are enough backup options, but how many overs they have under their belt is the biggest challenge because I think over-bowling is as bad as under-bowling. So you need optimum number of overs under your belt for you to be able to do well in Test cricket.'

'You're playing five test matches in Australia (later this year). You're playing under the home conditions. It's going to be challenging and each bowler will have to bowl at least about 35-40 overs in a Test match.'

'If you need to win the Test, that's a lot of bowling. So I think physically and mentally you need to be strong in order to overcome that challenge. If you look at Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ishant Sharma, they've had tremendous number of overs bowled in domestic cricket before they went on to play Test cricket.'

'That experience would hold you in very good stead when you do play Test cricket. I do understand a young, tear-away fast bowler who's come in, but then the lack of experience would clearly be shown in Test matches.'

'You rarely come across a bowler who instantly comes in because he's talented, comes into Test cricket and makes the adjustments. But domestic cricket is a great platform for any bowler to have that experience to do well in Test matches,' elaborated Arun.

Prior to India's tour of Australia, the 'A' team will have two four-day games in Brisbane and Mackay. The successful 'A' team tours, which unearthed someone like Siraj, took time to resume after Covid-19, due to which giving exposure to new talents also got delayed.

'The 'A' team tours are ones that prepare you (for overseas tours) because you're getting used to different conditions. You're playing in actually the conditions where you would be playing Test matches when you travel for the main series. So I think it's great preparations for any promising bowler to be part of the 'A' team,' adds Arun.

In all, India's shortage of back-up seamers in longer format has been quietly worrisome. To effectively handle the upcoming crucial period of Test cricket, it is crucial for pacers, both experienced and inexperienced, to step up and address concerns about the country's fast-bowling woes by delivering strong performances in coming months, starting with the Duleep Trophy.

/IANS