Blowing hot and cold: Assessing India's top bowling options

India were staring down the barrel in the 2nd Test against the Kiwis and it felt like a peculiarly familiar position.

In December 2013, India had found themselves in a position of supremacy against South Africa which had quietly surprised Indian supporters as the Proteas had their backs against the wall chasing an unprecedented target of 458.

The lack of any real teeth in India’s bowling, combined with a lack of imaginative captaincy, transformed the match from being an impressive performance overseas to one that left supporters pulling on their hair.

This group of players has given some shockingly underwhelming performances in Test match cricket. The only triumph in Test cricket in recent memory has been a hastily arranged home-series against the West Indies which, to be honest, was like bullying a harmless kid.

The defeats against South Africa and New Zealand differ from the ones suffered two years back against England and Australia. India’s batting line-up hasn’t bitterly disappointed even though they have been a tad inconsistent. Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane have stood up at different moments to build a challenge that should have translated into a solitary win if not a series triumph.

A measure of this is provided by the fact that India registered a single score of over 300 in 4 Test matches against Australia in 2011-12, a single score of 300 again against England just before that in 2011 whereas India has registered 4 convincing scores of over 300 in just 4 Test matches against South Africa and New Zealand.

The area of concern, which has been a running string in every single fixture from Johannesburg to Wellington, is India’s inability to take 20 wickets. We cannot really blame India’s spin department for this debacle given that they have been bowling in conditions that favour the faster bowlers. Moreover, Ravindra Jadeja has stood up for India in unlikely situations even if we hold Ashwin accountable for a few under-par performances.

Now, we have have narrowed down to the real core of the problem: India’s pace bowling. It did not really require so much rocket science as anyone who has religiously followed the Tests patiently overcoming time barriers in India.

The bowling department hasn’t fired in unison. There are no signs of planned dismissals and coordinated efforts to break up a partnership. The trend has been that batsmen have been able to stand ground when they have wanted to, whether it be Faf du Plessis and ABD, or McCullum and Watling.

The Indian bowling attack is becoming a specialist in creating heroes for the opposition side. This article will assess the performance of India’s bowling options, taking into account recent efforts across all formats in order to come to some kind of a conclusion that may benefit India going ahead.

Ishant Sharma : Rating: 5.5/10

Ishant Sharma

The lanky pacer redeemed himself a little with a couple of potentially match-winning spells in New Zealand but he epitomizes the inconsistency of India’s bowling efforts. Ishant is a bowler of limited capabilities who sticks to his natural length and doesn’t swing the ball.

He relies on his decent pace, nip off the pitch and menacing bounce to trump his opponents. He has savoured some success with this approach and the constant point of reference when it comes to establishing his talent is the spell he bowled against Ricky Ponting at Perth on the tour of Australia in 2007/08.

However, that was seven years ago and Ishant has gained enough experience at the international level for people to judge him on his performances and not on his talent. He is no more ‘a player of potential’, but a player who is under-performing and lacks teeth to match the likes of Dale Steyn and James Anderson.

This kind of criticism may seem harsh with the fresh memory of his exploits in New Zealand but such performances have been few and far between. Moreover, the incriminating evidence against his name is his performances in the shorter format of the game.

Ishant Sharma has shown extreme reluctance to change his approach during death overs making him a liability on the team and he was rightly evicted from the T20 World Cup squad as well as the squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.

He had a terrible home series against Australia when he was scored of at over 7.0 runs per over and didn’t finish his full quota of 10 overs in the three matches that he played. He was taken full toll of once again in South Africa and New Zealand proving the weakest of the lot in the limited overs format.

So what does the future hold for Ishant Sharma? I consider it a wise call to give him some time off from the limited overs format and give fresh audience to some other options in order to devise a larger framework for the 2015 World Cup. Ishant Sharma can add more teeth to his bowling in the meantime.

He has his share of assets. He bowls tirelessly, long spells that are required especially in the sub-continent and can take advantage of tracks that offer a bit of pace and bounce. It wouldn’t be the worst idea to reserve him for the Test format which seems to suit his style of play much better.

Zaheer Khan: Rating: 5/10

Zaheer Khan

India’s veteran campaigner has given his best years to the national side and has been a loyal servant of the game. He worked his socks off in order to make a comeback to the national side. We must give him credit where credit is due.

However, it must be accounted that the pacer’s selection was also motivated by the fact that India was touring outside the sub-continent and required some leadership. In which case, he must be held accountable for the fact that in his stewardship India’s bowling attack failed to break critical deadlock situations when a few wickets would have allowed India to cross the line.

He was alarmingly average in terms of his wicket-taking figures, picking up 16 wickets in 4 Test matches (against NZ and South Africa) and still looked India’s best bowler at times.

Zaheer has a complete skill set and was a force to reckon with during his best years. He has adapted to new challenges in the course of time. He developed his reverse swing to capitalize upon the dryness of sub-continent surfaces and used the knuckle-ball to good effect when the limited overs format demanded it.

His weak-point has been his fitness, and he seems to become a little complacent from time to time. He is also on the wrong side of 30 which means that while we may still demand something of him, we cannot continue to rely upon him for long.

The best way to utilize Zaheer’s services would be to play him selectively. Give him a go against a top-opposition in the ODI format in order to assess his availability for the 2015 World Cup. We must prioritize nurturing of new talent and thus his participation in home tests can be argued given the availability of the likes of Md. Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav etc.

Mohammed Shami: Rating: 6/10

Mohammed Shami

Many pundits of the game have called for a revolution in India’s domestic circuit so as to produce more fast bowlers. However, if you observe closely then India has been producing some top talent in the last half-a-decade.

The problem, instead, has been India’s inability to allow them to transition gradually from potentially top bowlers to top bowlers. Many factors have been involved: injury setbacks, early and insistent exposure to international cricket, lack of focus, poor backroom coaching and so on. The focus must now shift from unearthing new talent, which would obviously continue, to shielding and nurturing the current pool of players.

Mohammed Shami is one such prospect that beams brightly for Indian cricket even though his recent exploits may have been limited. He has some great elements in his game. He bowls at a refreshing pace, can swing the ball as well as produce some movement off the pitch.

He exploits the old ball beautifully in dry conditions as we saw late in 2013. He had a successful tour against the West Indies at home, but that can only be read a sign of his talent and not as achievement, and has since earned some vital experience through stern tests in New Zealand and South Africa.

India should ideally rest him after the hectic schedule of Asia Cup and T20 World Cup, but with the IPL looming large that seems to be highly unlikely. I fear that he may face a burn-out soon.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Rating: 5.5/10

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The lad from Uttar Pradesh made a stunning appearance in international cricket producing some quality performances against arch-rivals Pakistan in the shorter format of the game and has become a mainstay in the side.

His ability to swing the new ball both ways, and prodigiously so, makes him a difficult commodity. The great thing about Bhuvneshwar is his accuracy and focus; he is at the batsman from the word go and doesn’t allow his a few warm-up deliveries.

It is often observed that he earns his scalps early on in the game giving India a massive boost up-front. The down-side with his skill-set as is the case with most Indian talent is that he doesn’t bowl at alarming pace. He is still young and can add a yard of pace to his game.

He hasn’t been able to prove himself in the Test format though it must be added that he hasn’t had many opportunities. It would have been interesting to see him exploit more supportive conditions. However, one can argue potently that he didn’t deserve the call on the merit of his ODI performances in New Zealand and South Africa.

Unlike what was expected, he seemed to struggle in more supportive conditions and his swing faded. That must not be read as a sign of some momentous loss. Bhuvneshwar will have a huge role to play in the upcoming events that India will participate in: T20 World Cup and Asia Cup.

Others: Mohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Jaidev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav

India has a wealth of options to rely upon for the shorter format of the game. Mohit Sharma and Vinay Kumar are wily customers who have proved themselves consistently at the domestic level and in the Indian Premier League.

They do not have breathtaking pace but they have a knack of picking wickets when the batsmen are adamant upon going hammer and tongs. It is difficult for me to imagine them becoming a part of the Test squad. Umesh Yadav and Jaidev Unadkat are more promising talents in that aspect.

Umesh Yadav

Yadav burst onto the scene and was taken note of for his pace but midway he seemed to be caught up in a dilemma: whether to opt for pace or to sacrifice a yard for the purpose of swing and accuracy. He needs proper guidance in the immediate future and one hopes that he will come through his unfortunate injuries.

Unadkat hasn’t seen much of International cricket yet apart from a relatively irrelevant series against Zimbabwe. Being a left-arm bowler who has decent pace, swing and accuracy, he can add to our present options. India must not throw him in the heat but nurture him as a squad player who can chip in to get the hang of International cricket.