Sanjeev Sharma says pace alone does not make a complete fast bowler

Sanjeev Sharma, having a wide array of experience as a player and coach over nearly 40 years, has seen the transformation of fast bowling to be convinced that speed is not everything.

Even as the current trend is to look for speedsters clocking 140-plus km per hour, Sanjeev, who donned India colours between 1988 and 1990 and played as a professional player in Ireland, England, Bangladesh and the USA for a number of years, feels it isn’t pace alone that decides the quality of a bowler. Skills, that include the bowler’s ability to seam, swing and cut the ball, and control, make a complete pacer.

“Fast bowling is different now. If you want to play for India, the first priority is that you should bowl at 140 kmph. I think if you have skills along with 140 kmph, then it’s very good,” Sanjeev told Sportstar during Delhi’s Ranji Trophy match against Bengal.

“When I was the coach of Jammu & Kashmir, there were several players who could bowl at 140-plus. But they didn’t have the skills. The ball didn’t move. When you play in India, you don’t get enough bounce. The batter easily picks you,” said Sanjeev, who served as a coach in Fiji, Thailand, Bangladesh and the USA, apart from working as the chief coach of Ranji sides such as Vidarbha, J&K, Delhi, Arunachal and Sikkim.

According to Sanjeev, a complete action, top-level endurance, good memory and game sense are essential for a bowler. “You should analyse the conditions, back-lift of the batter and what the scoreboard says. You should know when to bowl which delivery.”

For aspiring pacers, Sanjeev, who also served as the chairman of the National junior selection committee, had some advice. “The one who knows how to bowl well with a red ball can even play T10. Basics and work during the off-season are really important,” he said.

Published on Oct 15, 2026