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Quicks need specialist bowling coach: Umesh

Star seamer received timely advice from India batting mentor but suggests a bowling equivalent will help pace brigade

Umesh Yadav has called on India to hire a specialist fast-bowling coach after the quick admitted he had no one to turn for technical advice at times during his side's marathon Test season.

The right-armer had a breakout Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, collecting 17 wickets across the four Tests, eight more scalps than the next best paceman Josh Hazlewood.

But with no specialist seam-bowling mentor on India's coaching staff, Umesh concedes there were times during India's 13-Test home season he went without much-needed guidance.

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"In some matches I bowl badly and don't realise what went wrong and how to correct," Umesh, who played in all but one of those 13 Tests, told Reuters. 

"A fast-bowling coach can help us correct our mistakes and improve as bowler.

"A fast-bowling coach will definitely help bowlers like Ishant (Sharma), (Mohammed) Shami, Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and myself to improve."

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Since head coach Anil Kumble, a former leg-spinner who took an Indian record 619 Test wickets, was appointed to the top job last year India have made do with batting coach Sanjay Bangar, plus a fielding coach.

Former Test quick Zaheer Khan had been linked with the fast-bowling portfolio but a deal didn't materialise,

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Ahead of his first series at the helm in the West Indies, Kumble said he'd be "looking at bringing in a fast bowling coach," once he'd gotten to know India's crop of pacemen.

But the 132-Test veteran stressed the onus was on the players to understand their craft. 

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"When I was a player, I used to feel that you are the captain of your own bowling, which I would like to try and inculcate, especially in the bowling group," Kumble said in June.

"The support staff would be working in the background. Players will be in the front. 

"I have been the player and now I am the coach, so I understand both the roles well."

Umesh did concede Kumble's assistant Bangar had helped him in the series against Australia, with the former India allrounder delivering some crucial advice to the 29-year-old.

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"I had been bowling short for some time and then Bangar asked me to bowl a much fuller length," he explained.

"He suggested that if I bowl a fuller length it would give the ball enough time to swing in air.

"Bangar told me not to either rush through my bowling strides or run too slow. He encouraged me to find my ideal rhythm and that is what I focus on while bowling.

"For me as a bowler, rhythm is very important. I don't even look at the pitch before a test match. I just try to get into a nice rhythm as early as possible and rest just happens."