Sri Lanka ropes in former Indian coach for 14-day fast bowling coaching camp

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced on Friday that Bharat Arun, former bowling coach of the Indian national team, has been appointed to lead a 14-day fast-bowling coaching program.

Arun will conduct the specialised two-week program aimed at enhancing the skills of Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers across both junior and senior levels. 

The program is scheduled to begin on June 2 at Sri Lanka’s High Performance Centre, according to an official statement from SLC.

His appointment follows a recent trend of high-profile Indian coaches contributing to Sri Lanka’s cricketing development. 

In May, former Indian fielding coach R Sridhar held a ten-day camp, while last year, Zubin Bharucha—Rajasthan Royals’ Director of High Performance—conducted a short-term batting program. 

These coaching initiatives have aligned with the tenure of Sanath Jayasuriya as Sri Lanka’s head coach.

During his stay, Arun is expected to work closely with the national men’s and women’s teams, the women’s ‘A’ team, the U19 men’s team, as well as club, provincial, and high-performance centre coaches and coach-educators.

According to the SLC statement, “Arun will conduct separate strategy sessions for the men’s red-ball and white-ball squads, deliver technical and skill-based training for fast bowlers, and lead video and performance analysis sessions. He will also create match scenarios to help players build better tactical awareness.”

It is pertinent to mention that SLC has a history of bringing in overseas experts for short-term roles, with past appointments including Wasim Akram, Aqib Javed, and Jonty Rhodes. 

Earlier this year, Bharucha’s batting program further underscored SLC’s commitment to strengthening its cricketing infrastructure at every level.

--Agencies