Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun called for patience when it comes to the team management and selectors’ bowling transition plans ahead of the crucial all-format tour against New Zealand. As many as four pacers have recently made their debuts, while there is also an experienced group ready, but they have had to be rotated heavily due to workload management and fixture congestion.
Since the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the likes of Prince Yadav, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj, and Gurnoor Brar have made their debuts for India in white-ball cricket. As far as red-ball plans are concerned, several players have thrown their hat in the ring to join the first-choice trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.
The likes of Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar have impressed in recent times, while veteran Mohammad Shami has made yet another strong case for a comeback after a solid start to his Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season.
Bharat Arun remarked that the team management must have some reason behind experimenting with so many bowlers recently.
“Well, I really don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors in the selection committee and the team management. I think they must be having some plans in place. If they are trying out so many bowlers, they want to find out who is the one who’s going to be, who’s going to suit according to the team’s plans. So, I would like to wait and watch rather than making a comment on that,” Bharat Arun said in a select media interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.
He further stated that the Indian pace bowling department is in a good state, and the team management’s experimentation will naturally bring out flaws, but ones that can be worked on in time for a big tournament.
If you look at the overall Indian pace attack, it looks pretty healthy to me. It is just a question of the combination. When one bowler comes into the team, somebody experienced like Bumrah walks into the team, the whole bowling attack looks totally different. So, I think when they are trying out. Yes, it’s okay for a bowler to be hit. In sport, you are allowed to fail. But the failure, to me, is an investment to tell me how to reinvent myself. So if that is going to be the case, if the bowler is going to understand where he stands, and if he’s going to reinvent himself, I think that is great preparation for the big event. And I hope the team management is doing just that,” he elaborated further.
India will tour New Zealand for five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests after their ongoing home white-ball series against West Indies.
“Either pick him on form or you don’t” – Bharat Arun’s huge statement on India veteran Mohammad Shami ahead of NZ vs IND 2026 series
A major part of India’s bowling transition strategy has been to cut ties with veteran Mohammad Shami and lean towards emerging bowlers. The right-arm pacer last played for India in the Champions Trophy 2025 Final and has not featured in Tests since the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 Final.
Bharat Arun believes Mohammad Shami has done enough across formats and does not need to prove anything at this stage of his career.
“To answer what Shami should be doing, I don’t think Shami needs to prove himself. You either pick him on form or you don’t. Mohammed Shami does not need to prove that ‘I can do this to be picked into the Indian team’. He’s proved enough across all formats,” he said.
(Watch India tour of New Zealand live and exclusive on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV starting October 22, 2026)
Edited by Gokul Nair