A day before he is set to end a fruitful stint as India bowling coach, Bharat Arun opined a proper break after the Indian Premier League may have helped India fare better in the ICC T20 World Cup.
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“Being on the road for six months is a huge ask. I think the players haven’t gone home since the short break after the first phase of the IPL. They have been in a bubble for the last six months. That takes a huge toll,” Arun said on Sunday.
“Maybe a short break between the IPL and the World Cup would have done a lot of good,” he said.
Formality
Having lost two games at the start, and New Zealand having beaten Afghanistan on Sunday, India’s last game against Namibia on Monday would be a mere formality.
“I am not trying to give any excuses,” Arun said.
“The toss played a very vital role. Batting first or second in these conditions makes a huge difference. That shouldn’t be the case,” Arun said.
With India’s last game in the World Cup on Monday, Arun’s stint as bowling coach will also come to an end. The former India pacer was satisfied with having contributed immensely to India’s rise in the pace-bowling department, especially in Tests.
“It’s been a great journey, an outstanding journey that had ups and downs. But the team is in a much better position than when we started,” he said.
Highest points
“We began winning Test matches overseas. That is what we strived hard to achieve as a team. The highest points could be the two back-to-back wins in Australia and also more-or-less winning the series in England.
“Of course, there is one more Test to go. But I think the team’s performance during the English series was outstanding,” he said..
