In the last few days there has been a lot of debate on Team India’s composition. Since the bowling hasn’t performed there have been calls to include the fifth specialist bowler. Captain MS Dhoni has liked to use part timers such as Yuvraj and Pathan on a regular basis. However, in the two World Cup matches they have proved a little expensive making it necessary to get in the fifth bowler.
I got the idea of writing this post as I watched the Ireland part timer Paul Stirling get the wicket of Kevin Peitersen. Watching Kevin Peitersen attempting the reverse sweep and losing his wicket, I felt that part timers are imperative in one day cricket. However, I believe that part timers are more of a luxury and over indulgence in any luxury is harmful. A team must have batsmen who can bowl a bit just in case but they cannot be expected to bowl very regularly. They may get you a wicket now and then but consistency is not their forte.
There are some days when some of your bowlers don’t have a good day. On most occasions it is one bowler who may struggle a bit but at times two or more bowlers may get tapped. This is when the part timers come into the equation. When the opposition batsmen are dominating the main bowlers they may try to take a few liberties when these part timers are on. In doing so they may lose their wicket like Kevin Pietersen did today. When these part timers bowl a few dot balls, the batsmen usually get a bit frustrated and try something innovative. However, this can happen sometimes if you are lucky.
Yuvraj and Pathan are good part time bowlers. Time and again they have answered the call when a wicket is needed. Off late, they have been used to fill in the quota of the fifth bowler. They were generally partnered by Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma to complete that duty in South Africa but with the former not finding a place in the eleven and the latter not in the squad, Yuvraj and Pathan have this responsibility as India look to play seven batsmen.
The current situation just shows the lack of a genuine all rounder in Indian cricket. Since the retirement of Manoj Prabhakar, India have struggled to produce a genuine all rounder. Irfan Pathan looked like he would fill up that spot once he started batting up the order but his bowling suffered as a result. Ravindra Jadeja was used at number seven but he never really settled in the batting order. At some level, I think he was given too many chances. His bowling was good no doubt, but he didn’t bat all that well to justify his selection as an all rounder. Thus, the World Cup squad doesn’t have a genuine all rounder but is full of specialist batsmen who can bowl a bit and specialist bowlers who can bat a bit.
In the past quite a few Indian batsmen have bowled a bit. Sehwag, Ganguly and Tendulkar in the past rolled their arm over with others like Yuvraj and Dinesh Mongia chipping in sometimes. However, they were used on a rotational basis. None of them were used as regularly as Yuvraj and Pathan are currently. This was one of the main reason that team didn’t struggle too much completing the fifth bowler’s quota as the other team couldn’t plan their game against the part timers. They had to deal with variety as the captain would shuffle and rotate these part timers. Today, Sehwag and Tendulkar’s past injuries do not allow them to bowl frequently which leaves Yuvraj and Pathan with too much to do. Had Sehwag and Tendulkar been fit to bowl then the need for a fifth bowler wouldn’t have been as grave as there would have been various options to choose from for Dhoni.
In South Africa the Indian part timers did well as there weren’t just two but four of them. Sharma and Raina bowled with Yuvraj and Pathan. Thus, in such situations the batsmen don’t settle against one bowler but have to deal with quite a few of them. With the other Indian batsmen not willing to roll their arm over, it becomes imperative to drop one of the seven and pick a fifth bowler.
The question before the Indian Team management is who will play as the fifth bowler. They should most certainly play with three fast bowlers namely Nehra, Zaheer and Munaf. I support Nehra’s inclusion as I have mentioned earlier he has the ability to pick up wickets in heaps. Since his comeback he has been phenomenal. Although he has been expensive at times but that is how the modern game is played; the batsmen go after you.
Harbhajan Singh will play as the first choice spinner and it would be either Ashwin or Chawla to play alongside him. Now it comes down to who is the better batsman. My pick would be Ashwin as he is a better batsman than Chawla and has performed under pressure for the Chennai Super Kings which shows his temperament.
To conclude I say that India must play five bowlers but that doesn’t mean that the part timers don’t roll their arm over. Some bowler may struggle on a given day and the part timer can be used just to surprise the opposition and also to reduce the pressure on the struggling bowler. Luxury is good but you must know where to stop.
Comments invited
No comments:
Post a Comment