In India during this time of the year, the conditions are almost merciless for bowlers in limited-overs cricket under lights. That’s mainly due to the dew, which makes it increasingly tougher to grip the ball, especially for the spinners.
No doubt, the conditions in Ranchi and Raipur in the two ODIs made matters a little more comforting for South Africa, even though they were chasing 350 and 359, as batting became easier in the second half, thanks to the wet ball.
That way, one should certainly spare a thought for India’s bowling group for having to deal with a situation far from ideal for bowlers. Having said so, are India’s bowlers completely spotless? Were beaten entirely by the conditions as well as the Proteas’ efficient batting unit?
In the present South African batting line-up, except the trio of Aiden Markam, Quinton de Kock and captain Temba Bavuma, the rest are yet to gain enough experience in this format, even if they do possess a fair amount of quality. Besides, this isn’t the first time the current group of Indian cricketers are playing white-ball cricket in such conditions that they will be caught off guard.
For the spinners, there cannot be a task more arduous than bowling with a wet ball on a very flat surface. “When there’s heavy dew, the ball feels like a soap for the spinners. And even if they try to keep it as dry as possible, it will get wet again going into the outfield,” former India left-arm spinner Maninder Singh pointed out.
“So, in such batter-friendly conditions, it’s important for batsmen to score those extra 20-30 runs to give the bowlers some cushion.”
Fair enough. But, given their skillset and experience, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav could have done better had they got their lengths right and brought the stumps more into play. Jadeja, the premier all-rounder, remains wicketless in the ongoing series, while it was quite surprising to see Kuldeep barely resorting to his wrong’uns.
He had still done it in his 4/68 in the series opener last Sunday, but it did seem quite baffling to see the left-arm wrist spinner not utilising one of his key wicket-taking deliveries to good effect in the second ODI on Wednesday, where he finished with poor numbers (1/78 in 10 overs).
Lack of role clarity
Also interesting is the case of Washington Sundar. The off-spinner all-rounder was slotted to bat in the top six and sent ahead of Jadeja in both the ODIs. Given his scores of 13 and 1, Washington didn’t come across as too comfortable with the bat.
With the ball, he got only three and fours overs to bowl in the two matches, going wicketless at an overall economy rate of 6.67. Does that suggest the team has little faith in his bowling? If that is so, it seems the team management is not clear enough about Washington’s role in the side.
Thin pace unit
Has the Indian team management been diligent enough with its fast bowling resources for this ODI series? Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna have certainly had their share of success in T20s, but the 50-over format is a different ballgame altogether. Something Prasidh is finding out. Harshit also needs to be a little more consistent with his lines and lengths.
“Why is Mohammed Siraj not playing this ODI series, especially after his growth in stature since the England series?” asked former national selector Devang Gandhi.
“Okay, you have rested Jasprit Bumrah because of his workload. Now then, if that’s the reason with Siraj as well, then how is he playing in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy (for Hyderabad)? Does workload management imply you can play domestic cricket but not the international matches?”
Devang further said: “Suppose on the eve of a game, one of the three quicks gets injured or indisposed. Who do you play then? You don’t have enough (ODI cricket) experience in your pace group in the first place, and then you could be forced to include (seamer all-rounder) Nitish Kumar Reddy, who will neither bat in the top six nor give you too many overs with the ball.
“The presence of an experienced guy like Siraj could seriously have helped in such a situation.”
Siraj had featured in Hyderabad’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game against Uttar Pradesh earlier in the week on Tuesday at Eden Gardens, taking 1/15 off his four overs. He didn’t play in Thursday’s clash against Jammu and Kashmir, though.
Shami puzzle
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel may be having their reasons for not being too pleased with the kind of “attitude” Mohammed Shami had shown before the squad for the England Test series was finalised. There are also whispers that Shami has lost pace, but can anyone deny the senior pacer’s credentials and experience?
In India’s last two major ODI competitions — the 2023 World Cup and the Champions Trophy this year — Shami was the team’s leading wicket-taker, something that cannot be ignored. Besides, he has been a consistent wicket-taker for Bengal lately with both the red and white ball.
Extra wicketkeeper
Alongside captain KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel is the third keeper-
batter in the squad for the series. “When you already have Rishabh as the second keeper after KL, what was the need to include Jurel as another wicketkeeper-batsman? Has he done outstandingly well of late in one-dayers? Don’t think so.
“...Would’ve been much more prudent had another fast bowler been taken
instead of a third keeper,” Devang remarked.