“Siraj is a wonderful story for other young upcoming fast bowlers to emulate. And in our own way, we want to do something from Coaching Beyond. It’s not only a challenge to us, but it’s also, I think, one way of doing something for Indian cricket. And more than anything else, to pick a talented boy and to give him the right kind of inputs at the right time. Inputs, I mean not only technical inputs, it’s going to be tactical, it’s going to be physical, it’s also mental,” Arun told The Indian Express.

“This country has a lot of fast bowlers around. And most of these fast bowlers around the country do not have the facilities”.

“Even though they may be exceptionally talented, the facilities are lacking for them. First is the affordability factor. Sometimes there are bowlers who come from different backgrounds, and they are not able to afford it. Or they do not have access to any good inputs to hone their skills.”

Since leaving the India role, he has been a part of an IPL-winning team – Kolkata Knight Riders – in 2024 and is currently part of the Lucknow Super Giants setup.

“So I think looking at the recent past in Indian cricket, I think there are exceptionally good bowlers hiding in different nooks and corners of our country. And I think it would be an interesting challenge to tap that potential,” he added, while pointing to the likes of Auqib Nabi who has emerged from Jammu and Kashmir and won the Ranji Trophy last season.

Laying out his plans is Arun’s way of responding to a question on whether he prefers to take another shot as the bowling coach of the Indian team. After coaching a few seasons in IPL, he is about to embark on his first season of working in the SA20 and The Hundred.

Despite his busy calendar, he still spends a majority of his time at the academy. On a hot summer afternoon in Chennai, where temperatures are touching 38 degrees, he is out coaching a handful of pacers who are bowling to St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, the CPL team that is holding a camp here.

“Continuing as a coach for India, yes, I’ve had my stint with the team. It was a very enjoyable stint. I think there is room to do a lot of work around all this to contribute more towards the development of cricket in the country. It’s not just the Indian team. I think everybody needs a specific time with the Indian team to do that. But there is a different kind of challenge. We are thinking of getting a sponsor to pick at least a dozen fast bowlers and look to give them scholarships, where we take care of their education, boarding and lodging, and also give them full-time coaching,” Arun said of his plans.

The need for such a camp is because of what Arun has observed in recent times. The IPL has given him a chance to witness talents like Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav, to name a few, emerge, but he admitted the fast bowling resources had diminished. “I would say yes, it is a phase that keeps going on and off. So that’s why, to make sure that the fast bowlers and the supply chain remain consistent, we want to do something in our power to make sure that we contribute a little towards that,” the 63-year-old said, with the aim to target fast bowlers in the 18-22 age group for the scholarship programme.

During Arun’s stint, India had the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav; since then, the resources have been thin. While the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna have emerged and stayed in India’s setup, none are close to cementing their places in any of the formats. And Arun says he would like to give India another pacer like Siraj, who came out of nowhere and became a force to reckon with.

Sunday’s match was effectively decided in the first 10 overs.

Depth exposed

England were only 58/0, but Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell had already identified India’s biggest problem. Arshdeep found movement, Prince sprayed the ball on either side of the wicket, and Prasidh Krishna, despite recovering late in the powerplay, could not make the inroads India needed from him. Once the powerplay was done, Gurnoor struggled to settle into a consistent length.

The openers respected the good deliveries and waited for India’s bowlers to err, which the bowlers did. By the time Duckett and Bethell added 192 for the opening wicket, the platform had been laid.

It would be simplistic to blame the defeat solely on Bumrah’s absence. But it reinforced how much India’s attack depends on the contrasting skills of Bumrah and Siraj.

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Bumrah remains arguably the most complete white-ball fast bowler in the game. He can swing the ball, bowl with the semi-old ball in the middle, execute yorkers at will and mix his pace without losing his control. Siraj, meanwhile, offers relentless hard lengths with the three-quarter seam that make scoring difficult even when wickets do not come.

The bowlers on Sunday gave glimpses but lacked consistency.

Missing skills

Arshdeep remains a fascinating case. Few left-arm seamers in world cricket swing the new ball as consistently as he does. When he pitched the ball up to Duckett on Sunday, there was movement, and it even occasionally beat the bat. The trouble was when the ball stopped swinging.

Batsmen in modern-day 50-over cricket have started to see off the initial movement. Once the shine fades, bowlers require other ways to take wickets. Bumrah has yorkers. Siraj has hard lengths. Mohammed Shami had reverse swing while relentlessly attacking the stumps.

Arshdeep is still developing that second weapon to add to his armoury. While his conventional swing remains his biggest strength, he and others are yet to conjure a plan to use the semi-old ball that is brought on after the 34th over to either generate reverse swing quickly or fall back on other methods such as yorkers and pace variations. It is a different skill set altogether, and one India’s backup seamers are still learning.

Shubman Gill (C) of India with teammates during the 3rd ODI International match between England and India at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, England on July 19, 2026. (CREIMAS)

Prince entered the series with a reputation as a reverse-swing exponent, but England’s batsmen never allowed India to exploit that weapon at Lord’s. Whether it was the conditions, ball management or the bowlers’ execution, India were unable to generate the kind of movement that has become Prince’s calling card.

Even Prasidh, India’s most experienced seamer on the day, showed both sides of his game. After a wicketless opening spell, he fought back to dismiss Bethell and Harry Brook by using his extra bounce. But he leaked runs at the death as Jos Buttler attacked him.

That should not overshadow what has otherwise been an encouraging ODI run. Since October 2025, Prasidh has picked up five wickets in the Powerplay at an economy of 4.96 and nine more through the middle overs at 6.04. He has also quietly established himself as one of India’s more reliable death bowlers, claiming seven wickets in 10 matches at the end of the innings. Sunday, however, was one of those rare days when none of his strengths proved enough.

None of the above means India are facing a bowling crisis. Bumrah’s return, combined with Siraj’s comeback, could restore the experience India needs in their arsenal. But Sunday’s defeat highlighted how quickly the quality drops once they are unavailable.

India have invested heavily in developing batting depth over the last two years, with an increasing preference for all-rounders in the XI.

Their pace reserves now require similar attention. With the ODI World Cup just over a year away, Sunday’s defeat highlighted an area India cannot afford to ignore. The challenge is not just identifying more fast bowlers to support Bumrah and Siraj. It is developing bowlers capable of thriving in a format that increasingly rewards versatility over specialisation.

(With stats inputs from Lalith Kalidas).