Shalabh Sriwastava: young, keen and deadly accurate
Shalabh Sriwastava is one of a breed rarely sighted in the Indian
sub-continent - left arm medium pacer. A tall lad who generates most of his
pace from a high arm action, Sriwastava opened the bowling for the Indians
in the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka with great success. His arm action
helps him land the ball in the spot with high accuracy. It is this accuracy
that most coaches look for in a young fast bowler.
Bowling from close to the stumps, Sriwastava relies on nagging accuracy
more than pace to pick up his wickets. He possesses the ability to move the
new ball both off the wicket and in the air. Keeping the ball full,
Sriwastava always makes the batsmen play. Sriwastava already possesses a
handy yorker and is looking to add a properly disguised slower ball to his
armoury.
That he topped the wicket taker's list (14 wickets at 17.57 apiece) for
India in the Under-19 World Cup says quite a bit, for the tournament was
played on slow, turning tracks. Sriwastava has shown that he is prepared to
work hard for success. He has also displayed a deep desire to succeed at
the highest level.
On returning from Lanka Sriwastava met with immediate success at home. In a
Ranji Trophy encounter against Haryana, Sriwastava capture six wickets for
Uttar Pradesh. With more solid performance, he should be knocking on the
doors of Indian selection pretty soon.