Karnataka's V Koushik celebrates after completing a fifer against Bengal on Thursday.
Credit: DHJ Photo/SK Dinesh
Bengaluru: After the phased exit of pace trio of R Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and S Arvind, Karnataka managed to unearth three more pacers of high quality and variety in Vidwath Kaverappa, V Vyshak and V Koushik a couple of seasons ago. That triumvirate, however, hasn't been able to operate together this season due to a combination of factors.
While Kaverappa is yet to recover from an injury, Vyshak is in South Africa as part of India's T20I series.
So the onus has completely fallen on the shoulders of Koushik to man the pace department along with an inexperienced bunch. The senior bowler has lived up to the task admirably well -- the latest example being his five-wicket haul against Bengal in Karnataka's Group C clash here.
Koushik's strength lies in the awareness of his limitations. He isn't the kind of bowler who will blast through batting line-ups. Instead he lures them to their doom with his accuracy and, if conditions permit, movement in the air and off the pitch.
"It comes quite naturally to me because I am not a pacer who can bowl 135 or 140 plus," Koushik begins. "I will try to bowl upwards of 120 and try to hit the right length. That's what my mastery is and I've been working on it for many years. So, trying to master it again and again. Every match depends on the wickets as well."
The 32-year-old expertly exploited the conditions here over the last two days after realising that there wasn't a prodigious lateral movement off the pitch.
It's a sort of second coming for Koushik who made the Senior grade in 2018-19 season but went off the radar as Covid, injuries and the arrival of a few young pacers kept him out. In the last couple of years, though, he has been an integral part of the side and has had such a success that he now dreams of playing for an India A team if not the senior Indian team.
Koushik now sits on 80 wickets in his 20th match and an excellent strike rate that hovers under 48. And strangely enough, an injury to his bowling shoulder has also helped him become more lethal.
During Covid Koushik sustained a grade 1 slap tear, which doesn't require surgery but needs careful management. Because of this injury, Koushik had to switch his bowling action to one that is more round-arm than the straighter one he used to have. This change, according to the pacer, has helped him in extracting reverse swing.
"It still hurts when I badly throw a ball or something like that, but I try to manage the injury," he says. "It doesn't hurt while I am bowling, because my action is a little bit roundish now. So there is a slight change in that. Initially, it (fear of aggravating injury) used to be always there at the back of my mind. (But) It has become a habit now. It's just that you keep strengthening it. Icing when you play a long match. If I bowl for 40 overs and all, it starts hurting. So I again ice it and then do the strengthening."