BCCI taps cricketing backwaters to boost bowling options

A policeman walks past a logo of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai April 26, 2010.

REUTERS - The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is finally looking beyond the traditional powerhouses to boost the team's thin bowling resources.

An identical test series whitewash in England and Australia has exposed India's bowling limitations, prompting the cricket board to go on a talent-hunt in India's cricketing backwaters.

Starting on Feb 18, National Cricket Academy (NCA) faculty will conduct open trials for pace and spin bowlers in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Boys between the age of 17 and 22 will be eligible to attend the trials. They should not have played in any BCCI-run tournament," Jagdale said.

The selected bowlers will then undergo specialised training followed by a three-week high-altitude camp in Dharamsala, BCCI joint secretary Anurag Thakur told Reuters.

"There are a number of talented players who don't get an opportunity to play in BCCI tournaments. While it might not be possible for them to play for India right now, they can be kept ready for when an opportunity comes," Thakur said by phone.