Ashok Dinda

New Delhi: Former South African pacer Allan Donald feels that Ashok Dinda’s jump at the bowling crease reminds him of his playing days and he is “right up there along with other Indian pacers”.

“I have no problem with his jump and that’s the way he has done it for a while now... It’s not something you see with most bowlers but he reminds me of myself… I too had to get off the ground high enough to snap very hard at the crease,” Donald said.

Elaborating further, he said: “I love the hang time he gets before he snaps through the crease. The hang time allows him to get into a strong position before pulling the trigger. The action comes naturally to him, but the stress on the body is huge… So paying attention to his core will be something he will have to work hard on.”

Having worked with the 28-year-old at the Sahara Pune Warriors, Donald feels that the Indian thinktank should be clear as to what role they want Dinda to play.

“Dinda has impressed me with his attitude and skill... The question I want to ask, do coaches see him as a stand-in for the big boys or a potential talent who you can back to do you a job?

“Of all the Indian bowlers I have seen, he is right up there... We all want to stack up the numbers (wickets) but there is a patient process to follow and that, for me, will make him a big-time contender in the Indian team.”

With 330 Test and 272 ODI wickets, Donald has the expertise and authority to talk on fast bowling.

“Bowling is like a golf swing. It is all about feel and it is complex. There is a lot that can go wrong, if everything is not in sync. When you are in good form, you have to understand why you are in that sort of form and again it brings me back to the training ground.”

According to him, the bottom line is “If you disrespect the way you train, mother cricket will rub your nose in the dirt.”

Getting it right at the nets is the key, says Donald.

“In my coaching role, I keep a close eye on how players go about there business and that is to never let them take the practice space for granted for one second. If I know that they are doing it right at training, then I know they will get it right more often than not out in the middle.”

Donald feels that it is easy to motivate a bowler when he is in good form rather than when he is going off the boil.

“It’s easy to motivate someone when he is in great form, but it is a far more crucial time when the player wants to know why he is out-of-form. In my role, most bowlers understand their actions and know their roles within the team. So for me, to come in and tell them how to bowl is not going to work.”