Four India pacers who started with rapid pace but eventually slowed down

Fast bowling in itself is an art. Not many players can do it as it is a tiring exercise. Also, not to forget, it breaks bodies. This is the reason why fast bowlers' careers are shorter than batters and spinners. Talking about pacers, India has a dearth of pacers these days and they are doing pretty for the team.

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Even after playing for a long time, their pace hasn't dropped much. However, there was a time when India was short on pacers. This, the pacers available for the team had lost pace due to various reasons. These are some renowned names who lost their pace. In this listicle, we will discuss four names who started at a rapid pace but lost it eventually.

Four India pacers who lost their pace later in their careers

Ishant Sharma (Image Credit : Twitter)

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1. Ishant Sharma

The pacer from Delhi tormented a legend like Ricky Ponting in his first tour of Australia in 2007-08. A lot of fans remember him for keeping the former Australia skipper on his toes in Perth. Back then, he had created problems him Ponting and Andrew Symonds in the ODI series and was one of the best in the team.

However, after a year or so, he started losing his pace due to his injuries. In 2016, he found himself once again albeit not clocking 150 kmph. Since then, he ruled in Test cricket and was one of the lead pacer for India till last year. 

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Munaf Patel (Image Credit : Twitter)

2. Munaf Patel

The right-arm pacer used to click 150 kmph in his initial career. A lot of credit can go to TA Saker and Dennis Lillie from the MRF Pace Academy. They helped him become a pacer with a disconcerting pace. Fans might remember him for having a bowling action as same as Glenn McGrath.

However, loads of injuries led him to cut down on pace. He did it to be able to play for India more often. Still, it didn't help him much as his injuries kept him out of the game. This also led the selectors to look towards other pacers. 

RP Singh (Image Credit : Twitter)

3. RP Singh

The left-arm pacer from Uttar Pradesh made his name in the U19 World Cup 2004, where Shikhar Dhawan also played. In that tournament, Singh took eight wickets at an average of 24.75 apiece. He is also remembered for the 2007 20-20 World Cup glory.

For some unexplained reasons, he faded away and lost his place in the team. After playing his last in 2008, he was recalled for The Oval Test in 2011, only to be dropped later. Two years later, he played his last Indian T20 League game and is currently working as a commentator. 

Irfan Pathan (Image Credit : Twitter)

4. Irfan Pathan

The 2007 20-20 World Cup winner started at a rapid pace. After a while, he started working on his batting as well, thanks to Greg Chappell. However, this had a negative on him and he lost his pace. His bowling performance started going down.

Fans remember him for his match-winning performance in the 2007 20-20 World Cup final against Pakistan. Against the same opposition, he has a Test hat-trick in the first over of the game.