Murali Kartik identifies Ravi Bishnoi’s run-up as the root cause of back-foot no-balls

Former India spinner Murali Kartik believes Ravi Bishnoi's recurring back-foot no-balls are caused by his exaggerated run-up rather than his bowling action. Kartik says returning to a smaller semi-circular approach could restore Bishnoi's rhythm without requiring a complete remodelling of his technique

New Delhi:  It’s not the bowling action, it’s the run-up itself, said former India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik as he dissected the technical issues in Ravi Bishnoi’s multiple back-foot no-balls that resulted in an expensive over of 29 in the lost second T20I against England.

Kartik said Bishnoi’s exaggerated semicircular run-up to the crease has altered his alignment, forcing him to cut the return crease. He suggested that a return to the smaller “C-shaped” run-up that served him well earlier could solve the problem without requiring a complete remodelling of his action.

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Kartik explained that Bishnoi’s back-foot no-balls are rooted in the way he approaches the crease and gathers before release.

“I think back-foot no-balls happen because your run-up is like that and your load is like that. Ravi Bishnoi has had some different run-ups over the years. Even during the IPL, he had this sort of a semicircle, you can call it, or a C, whatever you want to call it. That’s the way he runs in to get to a position to bowl,” Kartik told PTI during an interaction.

According to Kartik, Bishnoi’s bowling style is naturally suited to a more upright arm position because he is predominantly a googly bowler rather than a classical leg-spinner.

“Bishnoi’s bowling hand comes in a perpendicular line, very straight. So as a leg-spinner, you have to be slightly away from your ear at the time of release to get the ball to spin.

“So at the time of the load, the back of your right hand should be pointing towards covers and the ball inside the palm should be directed towards mid-wicket. But Bishnoi has his right arm close to the ear because he is primarily a googly bowler, who can also bowl the slider to left-handers.”

“He tried a straighter run-up”

In fact, Kartik explained that trying out a different run-up during the red ball season before reverting to the semi-circular run-up might have led to a bit of confusion for the 25-year-old.

“And if you remember last year when he was playing for Lucknow Super Giants, he had a very straight run-up. He has had to work things out for himself because he also played a bit of Ranji Trophy cricket that season.”

Kartik said Bishnoi tried to make technical adjustments while playing red-ball cricket, where a conventional leg-break becomes a more important weapon.

“The year he played for LSG wasn’t a great year for him and he also played red-ball cricket. In that, he was trying to spin the ball, which meant his arm was away from his right ear. I’ve got video footage of it from the IPL.

“The year before, when he was doing well and had come onto the scene, he had a bit of this semicircular run-up. Not as exaggerated as we have seen in the last game.”

He recalled that Bishnoi’s early IPL success came with his natural method before the adjustments affected his rhythm.

“Even during the IPL, when he started off, he started really well. He was the Purple Cap holder after the first few games and then he lost his place after going for runs.

“What he himself said was that while trying to bowl with the red ball, he didn’t know where his lengths were in T20 cricket. One of Bishnoi’s strengths is that he’s quick through the air. He gets the ball to slide into a right-hander or slide away from the left-hander.

“Because he’s not a tall guy, the ball tends to scoot, which means it’s not easy to get underneath it and hit.”

Kartik feels once a bowler becomes conscious of back-foot no-balls, he can’t focus on the delivery he wants to bowl.

“When you’re thinking of the return crease, then you’re not thinking of the delivery that you want to bowl. What he has to do is figure out a way to get that semicircle small so that his run-up is fine,” he said.

Not a tough to go back to original run-up

Kartik feels that bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule can actually show Bishnoi what worked for him when he picked all those wickets.

“The spin coach can impress upon him that this is what you did, show him footage of his old bowling and try to get him back into that space. Whether he can do it in two days depends on the individual and how comfortable he is, but technically it should not be very difficult.”

Kartik also cautioned against forcing bowlers with unique actions into textbook techniques, citing examples of some of the game’s most unconventional greats.

“(Jasprit) Bumrah wouldn’t have been Bumrah if a biomechanics expert had sat down and told him exactly what to do. (Lasith) Malinga wouldn’t have been Malinga,” he said.

He added that rebuilding an action from scratch is rarely straightforward and often takes years.

“To unlearn and relearn, to go back to the drawing board, is never easy. It takes quite a few seasons out of you. I’ve seen very few bowlers who can actually do it. Think of Sunil Narine. When he had to remodel his action, it took him a long time to become the Sunil Narine that he is now. It is never easy to find your groove again.”