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Nagwaswalla happy to help India batsmen face Wagner’s music
Even before Ajinkya Rahane chopped Neil Wagner's slow short ball onto the stumps in the Christchurch Test early last year, he seemed to have been dismissed a few times in his mind in one of the tireless spells of short-pitched bowling by the New Zealand left-arm pacer. In what is often the case, Wagner had telegraphed his field—slip, short leg, and leg gully—but the India vice-captain failed to get on top of the awkward angle and relentless questioning by the Kiwi workhorse. Wagner will be at it again in Southampton in the World Test Championship final next month and Rahane and Co. will have to face him. Only this time, they would have trialed against a bowler of similar mode and build at the nets in England. 23-year-old Arzan Nagwaswalla’s choice as a reserve bowler in India's 24-member squad to England surprised many but the ability to simulate Wagner's line of attack was a factor that gave the Gujarat left-arm seamer his first international tour. “I am happy I will be able to prepare our batsmen to handle their left-arm fast bowlers,” said Nagwaswalla. “I will try to make it tough for the batsmen in the nets so that they are ready for the match.” With T Natarajan injured, other options the selectors had was last Ranji season’s highest wicket-taker Jaydev Unadkat and his Saurashtra team-mate, Chetan Sakariya, a swing bowler with the red ball who also impressed in IPL. But getting a left-armer with pace to pepper the batsmen with the short ball from both sides of the wicket is seen as vital preparation. It was something Nagwaswalla is adept at.
