Published: May 14, 2011, 10:32 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 20, 2014, 11:16 PM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
The Indian bowling was much talked about during the recently-concluded ICC cricket World Cup. The attack did not look penetrative and effective as India let Bangladesh get to 283, tied with England, could not wrap up Ireland and Netherlands as quickly as they would have liked and couldn’t defend 297 against South Africa.
However, it peaked when it was most needed which helped India lift the World Cup. Zaheer Khan was one fast bowler who was consistent throughout, even as the others struggled initially. He was helped later on by Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra who delivered crucial spells in the hour of need. Yuvraj Singh, mainly playing as a batsman and the fifth bowling option, picked up wickets at crucial intervals to take the pressure off Harbhajan Singh.
With the World Cup in the bag, the Indian think-tank needs to start planning for the next edition to be held Down Under. The first steps towards the next World Cup will be taken on the tour to the West Indies. It is a great opportunity to test bowlers who have been on the bench for quite some time. It is important that India strengthens its bowling before the next World Cup so that there are no hiccups when the big moment arrives.
The tour to West Indies is crucial as Zaheer is rested and Nehra is out injured. Zaheer who led the attack during the World Cup would be missed, but it is important that India finds an able back up as he is not getting any younger. Nehra has been one of India’s best ODI bowlers since his comeback in June 2009, but has not been very consistent off late. His last outing in the World Cup was the semi-final against Pakistan where he bowled brilliantly. However, India needs to find a more consistent bowler as he, too, is on the wrong side of thirty.
The bowling armory for the limited overs leg of the tour to the West Indies is: Munaf Patel, R Vinay Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra.
Munaf Patel will lead the attack taking on the mantle from Zaheer Khan. Munaf was called the “unsung hero” of the World Cup by the India’s bowling coach Eric Simmons as he bowled economical spells to support Zaheer. In the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League, Munaf has been fantastic as he is third in the wicket-takers’ list. What has been most impressive about him is his economy rate of 6.20 in a format where batsmen are looking to go after the bowling. It would be interesting to see whether Munaf can carry his good work to the West Indies. His fitness and fielding were big problems early in his career, but those days seem to have passed as we see Munaf diving around the field and saving vital runs. This is his opportunity to become indispensible to India’s plans and become as valuable as Zaheer.
R Vinay Kumar seems to be a stop-gap arrangement and not a long term selection. He has been impressive with his variations and change-ups. However, he is not very fast and cannot be termed as a long term back up for somebody like Zaheer Khan. It is for this very reason why Ishant Sharma becomes even more crucial to India’s plans.
Once touted as the next pace sensation, Ishant lost his way a little bit and was left out of the World Cup squad. He bowled a fiery spell against Kochi in this IPL and India would hope he can replicate the same at the international level. One thing he must remember is that form is temporary and class is permanent. He is still young and can still consistently emulate his performance of the tour to Australia in 2007-08.
Praveen Kumar is another player making his comeback after missing out on the World Cup due to injury. He is very effective with the new ball but he has to prove his death bowling to regain his spot. Zaheer Khan was brilliant with the old ball in the World Cup and it is very difficult to replicate what he did. Thus, if India opts to play two spinners and two pacers in the West Indies, it would be a tossup between Ishant and Praveen for the second fast bowler’s spot depending on who can bowl better at the death. If the team management opts for three pacers then both of them would join Munaf.
India has two off-spinners in the squad and a leg-spinner, Amit Mishra. With Piyush Chawla failing in his World Cup outings, Mishra has a good chance of making an impression. His inclusion would bring variety to the Indian spin attack however the team management may opt to play both off spinners given the West Indian batsmen’s struggles against Mohammed Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal in their ongoing series against Pakistan. If Mishra is included, then India may have to play Yusuf Pathan who will provide the other off spinning option. This may be a better combination as it would give an opportunity to test Mishra.
The Indian team is going to the West Indies after the high of the World Cup. They would be accompanied by a new coach, Duncan Fletcher and it would be interesting to see how he handles the resources. One thing is for sure that he would be looking to settle the bowling and find long term options. Thus, this tour is very crucial to India’s ODI plans for the future.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya, a 20-year-old law student, is a club and college-level cricketer. His teachers always complain, “He knows the stats and facts of cricket more than the subjects we teach him.”)
