Bharat Arun

Playing career

Arun was a medium pacer and an attacking lower order batsman. In the semifinal of the 1986/87 Duleep Trophy he hit 149 and added 221 for the seventh wicket with W. V. Raman as South Zone chased a West total of 516 for the first innings lead. A 107* for India Under-25 against the visiting Sri Lankans just before the selection of the side for the Tests against Sri Lanka won him a place in the side. He was part of the Indian under 19 team that toured Sri Lanka in 1979 under the captaincy of Ravi Shastri.

He played two Test matches, both during the three-match series against Sri Lanka in 1986–87, with the 3 for 76 in his first match as his best bowling figures (after slipping and falling down, to some hilarity, when he ran in to bowl his first ball). He was part of India's side for the 1987 Sharjah Cup, and appeared in all of India's three matches without distinction. He was a part of the Tamil Nadu team that won the Ranji Trophy in 1987/88. He announced his retirement from first-class cricket in November 1993.

Coaching

Arun began his coaching career with Tamil Nadu in 2002. He served as the Indian bowling coach from 2014 to 2015, then again from 16 July 2017 until the end of the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The latter appointment was unusual as Zaheer Khan had already been announced in that position, but the new Indian coach Ravi Shastri pushed for a more experienced head bowling coach, with Khan instead taking up a role as bowling consultant. In January 2022, Arun was appointed as bowling coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

References

References

1. "West Zone v South Zone in 1986/87". [[CricketArchive]].
2. (3 November 1993). "Arun calls it a day". The Indian Express.
3. "Bharat Arun Profile". [[Cricbuzz]].
4. "Ravi Shastri wants Bharat Arun as bowling coach, prefers Zaheer Khan as consultant". The Times of India.
5. (14 January 2022). "Bharat Arun appointed Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach". [[ESPNcricinfo]].