Singh on song ahead of Test series

There was a time when VRV Singh, who will fly to the West Indies tomorrow for his first Test series, would need his coach to console him if he came back from a game without hitting a opposition batsman on the head. Remind him of those days now and he laughs. "That was long ago. Now I have learnt there are other things too to fast bowling." He has learnt the hard way.

In the first match of this Indian domestic season, he proved just why he was being hailed as the quickest in India - by showing no less a figure than the outgoing Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. In a Duleep Trophy match in Rajkot, a handful watched VRV smack Ganguly on the helmet. The ball, just short a good length, ballooned almost as high as the pavilion.

But just as he was beginning to get closer to the Indian team, Singh injured his landing foot. The physical pain was compounded by his not being able to work up pace.

It was clear to those who had seen him bowl in domestic cricket that something was clearly amiss in the two one-dayers he played against England. Not because he didn't hit people on the head, but because he didn't look capable of doing it. In a matter of five months, he had turned from an upcoming sensation to just another medium-pacer making his debut.

"Fast bowling is as much rhythm and match-practice as it is natural talent," he says now. "Because of the injury, I had been short on practice."

Kevin Pietersen quickly showed him the reality of international cricket, taking 27 runs off one over. "I don't think about that over now," Singh insists. "I don't think much about the past because I can't change it."

Then came the EurAsia Cup in Abu Dhabi, where VRV bowled impressively to fetch 11 wickets in four matches to stay in the selectors' radar. What stood out was the bounce, and that showing, along the selectors' new-found propensity to back their instincts, has given him another chance. As the chairman of selectors, Kiran More, says: "He did well in the Abu Dhabi tournament but not in the final. We just can't count out any player [based on one bad performance]. If somebody gets three ducks we can't say he is a bad player. We always have to back them up if they have potential."

It was a busy day today for Singh, what with all the paper work to be done relatives and friends to be met, and to be ready in time to catch a flight tomorrow night. But, the nets weren't allowed to suffer - it's all about rhythm, remember.

Working with Greg Chappell and Ian Frazer has helped him understand his bowling better: "They haven't come up with any glaring shortcoming with my bowling. But they have helped me on the mental, physical, and technical aspect of fast bowling."

A day before his first major tour, VRV doesn't talk of the nerves and pressure, but more about the variations, run-up, and follow-through. But just when it seems that his headhunting days are behind him, he pipes up: "Pace is still my number one priority." West Indies will be a good place to start.