Trappings of a lethal bowling unit

Bangladesh showed remarkable grit in not caving in without a fight. Their brand of cricket in the solitary Test was far better than the one exhibited by New Zealand and England. Going into the Test, the “Tigers” had nothing to lose and at the end of day 5, they must have gained heaps of experience while playing the top side in the world.

As for India, the win on Monday took their unbeaten streak to nineteen matches under the leadership of Virat Kohli.

Success has been Virat Kohli’s shadow. India has now upstaged Sri Lanka (2-1), South Africa (3-0), West Indies (2-0), New Zealand (3-0), England (4-0) and Bangladesh (1-0). As India’s new captain across all formats, Virat Kohli has learnt lessons along the way under the guidance of Anil Kumble, who is acting as his source of support and knowledge.

Decisions taken by Kohli in the Test against Bangladesh looked critical in the beginning. At first glance, even I questioned the dropping of Karun Nair despite his brilliant triple century and the selection of Ajinkya Rahane – a batsman coming back from injury and struggling for form. But Virat Kohli stuck by his decision and Rahane responded with an 82 in the first innings. A stand out feature of Kohli’s captaincy is that he believes in the ability of a cricketer and gives importance to the experience the player has gained in international cricket. In hindsight, the confidence showed by him on players such as Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha, proved to be fruitful for the team.

Shades of Kapil Dev

His decisions regarding player selection and the team combination of playing three fast bowlers in Indian conditions after a long time has really given a great boost to the players. It reminds me of Kapil Dev in 1987 World Cup when I was given the opportunity to play despite a broken thumb. He never opted for a replacement and persisted with me in the side till I was fit to bowl, his confidence in me really boosted my morale and filled me up with great energy. Later, I took a hattrick in the same tournament. This sort of confidence placed on players by any captain pushes them to give more than their hundred percent. These are signs of a great captain.

Bowling plays an important role in Test matches. A team can score as many runs as they want but if one doesn’t pick up twenty wickets, the chances of a victory are very bleak. Virat Kohli will be pleased with the wealth of bowling resources that are at his disposal. While R Ashwin has been a revelation with four consecutive man-of-the-series performances between August 2015 and October 2016, it’s the performance of the seemers that has been heartening.

Fast bowlers and spinners working in tandem

The quality of our spinners allow our fast bowlers to attack. The spinners keep things tight and put the batsman under pressure; and when the ball starts to reverse swing, the pacers go on the offensive. All three seamers were able to get the ball to reverse swing but Umesh Yadav – with his pace and variations in length – was in a different league. The length he bowls allows him to swing both the new and the old ball. Ever since the Delhi Test match against South Africa, we have seen him provide vital breakthroughs for the team. A noticeable change is his wrist position and balance at the crease. Without a doubt, Umesh Yadav is the most improved bowler in the last season and a half.

Meanwhile, Ishant Sharma’s spell was good to watch. He really bowled his heart out and displayed loads of healthy aggression. Getting wickets at regular intervals was a great bowling effort. Also, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has added an extra dimension to the team. His performances with the old ball in recent outings can be attributed to his increased fitness levels. A supremely fit fast bowler can bend his back and put more pace on the ball – it’s the key for the reverse swing bowling. Undoubtedly, “Bhuvi” has stepped up the game with the old ball.

As a former fast bowler, it gives me great pleasure to see this current crop of Indian fast bowlers doing a great job with the ball in home conditions. A group of pacers running in with good rhythm and confidence will go a long way is bringing laurels to the country against any side in the world.