VRV Singh laid low on the fitness front

Published>Wed, Feb 03 10 10:19 AM

Kolkata, Feb. 3 -- When as India coach, Greg Chappell was looking for genuinely quick bowlers this Chandigarh lad had impressed him. Tall, well built and with a slightly open-chested action, there was no question about VRV Singh's ability to bowl fast. Unfortunately, there was a question mark over his fitness, which has persisted. Not appreciably successful in terms of taking wickets, VRV's rhythm, release and style of delivery had impressed Ian Bishop, when he made his Test debut in Antigua in 2006. He took just two wickets in two Tests in that series, but the way he bowled indicated that here was a youngster with potential. He toured South Africa later that year and also went to Australia in 2007-08 without getting too many chances to play. However, this was an opportunity for him to learn and VRV showed in domestic cricket that education-wise, those foreign trips weren't completely futile. This was reflected in his first-class statistics. Just when it seemed that he was getting ready to perform on the bigger stage, injuries began pegging him back. An ankle problem first cut short his domestic season in 2008-09 and, after having recovered from that and playing for Kings XI Punjab in the second edition of the IPL, a back injury ruled him out of the 2009-10 edition of the Ranji Trophy. Undergoing rehabilitation at the moment, VRV is eyeing the zonal phase of the national one-day championship, beginning on February 10. "Though not at full steam, I have started bowling," VRV told Hindustan Times. "I want to get fully fit before returning to action because there is no point in spoiling my future for the sake of just one tournament. "I'm getting back to rhythm gradually and the priority at the moment is not to aggravate the injury. This is a crucial stage of my career and I don't want to rush things." VRV is happy with his progress though. "I'm feeling a lot better and working hard to make sure that I play the one-dayers. I'm not bowling as fast as I can but that's not important at the moment. There's a lot of cricket to be played this year and I want to be at my best when I make a come back." 25 year old, VRV is one of those forgotten players who has age on his side.

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