India?s new pace battery has tremendous potential, but will they be backed enough by their captain and team management to power home the advantage?
The pace-bowling drought appears to be over and the future looks bright. This is one silver lining amid uncertainty as India struggles to cope with transition.
Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashok Dinda and Shami Ahmed formed the four-pronged pace attack in the ODI series against Pakistan and England, and though India has tasted mixed results?losing against the rivals across the border and winning against England?the seamers have come out with flying colours. ?They have bowled well in all conditions,? Mahendra Singh Dhoni said during the series against England. It was a big praise from someone who is always guarded in his assessment.
Kumar is the find of the season. If the debut was sparkling?a three-wicket haul in his first T20 International against Pakistan?he has built on his start. Kumar doesn?t have pace. In fact, at 77mph, it is very difficult to rattle any top-class batsman unless the bowler has the guile. Kumar?s strength is his ability to move the ball both ways and hit the right area. He had been doing this for Uttar Pradesh since his first-class debut at Eden Gardens five years ago. Maybe the selectors were a little late in spotting him.
Shami, too, has the ability to swing the ball. At times he can hit the bat pretty hard as well. With a very deceptive bouncer in his repertoire, the Bengal bowler is a complete package, though he needs to work harder to achieve perfection. Coming in as Ashok Dinda?s replacement, the Bengal player has handled the pressure well.
And then there is Ishant Sharma?the bowler who refuses to grow. With his talent and experience of more than five years in international cricket, by now, he should have become India?s number one. But 137 wickets in 47 Tests at 38.00 and 75 scalps in 54 ODIs show that he has been inconsistent. He also has a tendency to break down, but the upside is that at 24, he is still young. And when he finds his rhythm, as was the case in the newly-built stadium in Ranchi and hard and bouncy Mohali, he can be quite a handful in all formats.
Hopefully, Ishant will ensure that he doesn?t lose his rhythm. And hopefully, Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav will come back stronger. The ODI series win against England was more significant for the fact that the backup seamers stepped up to plate. And as Zaheer and Yadav are expected to return from their injury lay-offs to play Tests against Australia, the team will have a happy problem to deal with. It would be impossible to fit all the pace bowlers in a squad of 15. But then, from India?s perspective, it?s a great thing to have an excess of riches in the fast-bowling department.
Make no mistake. Zaheer is still the best of the lot, with his mastery over the new and old ball. He was not at his best in the Tests against England and was dropped. To make matters worse, he picked up a calf injury while playing a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai and is undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). At 34, he is past his prime. But India still doesn?t have his replacement. Zaheer is expected to be fitter and leaner when he comes back.
Actually, more than his wickets, India will need him to mentor the Kumars and the Ahmeds. As a rookie, Zaheer and also Ashish Nehra, were guided by Javagal Srinath. Both still acknowledge how vital it turned out to be in shaping up their careers. Now as the senior pro, Zaheer has taken up the role to groom the youngsters. And no one does it better than him.
India missed Umesh Yadav badly as they lost their first home Test series in eight years. The burly right-arm bowler from Vidharbha is one of the best things that have happened to Indian cricket of late. As far as pace is concerned, he is right up there among the fastest. But it is his ability to reverse the ball at 90mph that makes him lethal. Yadav is recuperating from a lower back injury that has sidelined him since the first Test against England in Ahmedabad. Hopefully, he will be fit before Michael Clarke & Co arrive here.
The selectors also await a fitness update from Irfan Pathan, who is nursing a knee injury. A genuine all-rounder, Irfan can provide the balance that the team is looking for.
As India have lost their spin punch, pace bowlers have risen. It?s an irony that India were outspun by Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar in home conditions. There?s a big void in the spin bowling department since the retirement of Anil Kumble. Harbhajan Singh was expected to lead the attack after him, but he baulked at the challenge, eventually losing his place in the team. His replacement R Ashwin, at best, is a bowler who can play a restrictive role. But the Tamil Nadu off-spinner doesn?t have enough tricks to run through a side.
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha had a decent series against England. But then, he has his problems with his action. Another left-arm spinner, Ankeet Chavan from Mumbai, has impressed one and all during this domestic season, but he is not a finished product yet. Jharkhand?s Shahbaz Nadeem, too, took more than 40 wickets in this Ranji Trophy, but most of his wickets came against the weaker teams, who were placed in Group C.
Interestingly, even after the recent reverses, India will prefer to play on turners against Australia. The seamers, who easily outclass their spin bowling team mates, will once again have to toil hard. The simple reason is that the Indian batsmen are not comfortable playing on pitches that offer carry and lateral movement. Also, India is always happy to exploit the weakness of its opposition.
But time has come to change the outlook and approach. India has lost eight overseas Tests on the trot. And now it has lost its air of invincibility at home. The situation was equally bad at the turn of the millennium, but a group of extremely talented and dedicated young men decided for a change under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. As they set their sights on winning on the road, they put emphasis on pace bowling. Zaheer, Nehra and Ajit Agarkar were backed to the hilt by their seniors, and they delivered.
The present group of seamers has the potential to make it big. They need the support of their captain.