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Waste not, want not

At the end of the recent Akai Singer Nidahas tournament, Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin indicated that the team, which won a nail-biter against Sri Lanka, was still incomplete, in the absence of leading fast bowler Javagal Srinath.

The BCCI for its part appears, collectively, to have no clue about what Srinath's present situation is. Is he injured? Yes, say the selectors. Seriously? No, they say, we are just not "risking him" just now.

So what precisely is the fast bowler up to now? Nothing much -- just practise, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Unsupervised practise, we must add. It is obviously not the board's business to babysit the fast bowler, to help him get back to full fitness, to add to India's arsenal a fast bowler who, in tandem with Ajit Agarkar, could provide the team with a lethal opening pair.

Contrast that with the attitude of the Australian Cricket Board. Earlier this week, at the Melbourne Cricket Club, Glenn McGrath was spotted going through his paces, in the confines of the ground's indoor nets.

The pace bowler, injured in January this year, was stretching himself, testing his body out with a spell of quick bowling under the supervision of doctors, coaches and other officials headed by team doctor Trefor James.

In fact, the ACB flew McGrath from Sydney to Melbourne to undergo the fitness test -- wherein he stretched for pace, and later estimated that he was back to approximately 75% of his full fitness.

McGrath started out with a trapped groin nerve, and added to his problems with a strained stomach muscle that, thanks to continued bowling during the tour of South Africa, became a full-fledged tear.

While on the compare and contrast kick, check this out as well: ever since he burst on the international horizon, the congnoscenti have been indicating that Ajit Agarkar, hottest prospect on the Indian scene just now, needs a planned fitness programme aimed at adding to his bulk and shoulder strength.

"He is just 58 kilos in weight," says Sanjay Manjrekar, who has captained the young quick in the Ranji Trophy competition. "I told him seriously, once, that either he should add body weight, or stop fast bowling."

Thus far, however, the board hasn't had the time or inclination to think of this need, to put Agarkar under a specialised training programme. In any event, the board doesn't have the time to spare, being for now caught up in trying to fill all possible gaps in India's cricketing schedule.

By way of contrast, check out the case of the lanky Aussie fast bowler. During the period of his injury, the board physio and dietician carried out various tests, and came up with a programme that has helped him add approximately five kilos in bulk, while strengthening his arms and shoulders.

"I'm stronger, and fitter, then before," says McGrath, who hopes to test his strength and fitness for the first time on July 18, in the festival match at Lord's to raise money for the late Diana, Princess of Wales' memorial fund. He is also 95% sure of making the side for the tour of Pakistan, slated for September.

Interestingly, Jason Gillespie, McGrath's partner in crime till a side strain put him out of action last year, is also being nursed systematically back to full fitness. And at the time of writing this, seems set to return as McGrath's strike partner for the tour of Pakistan.

Dr James, it is understood, has given McGrath a clean chit, pronouncing him free of injury now. And the board will take over again, with coaches and physios working in tandem to fine tune the recovery process and bring the ace speedster back to 100%.

Meanwhile, spare a thought for Javagal Srinath. And Ajit Agarkar. And Venkatesh Prasad, who during the recent tournament in Sri Lanka, was seen struggling to get his throw back in from the deep.