India’s impressive bowling depth: batsmen bowl at nets ahead of Bangladesh game in Delhi

India had 10 bowling options successful the archetypal T20I lucifer against Bangladesh successful Gwalior. Barring wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, everyone successful India’s playing XI was capable to rotation their arms. This is not thing India has enjoyed successful the past decennary successful the white-ball format.

New Delhi: India’s Sanju Samson during a signifier league up of the 2nd T20 International cricket lucifer betwixt India and Bangladesh astatine the Arun Jaitley Stadium, successful New Delhi, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary)

A glimpse astatine immoderate numbers successful the ODIs from the past volition assistance america excavation deeper. Sachin Tendulkar, who bowled inswingers, outswingers, leg-breaks, and off-breaks has 154 ODI wickets. Sourav Ganguly with his subject mean worldly has 100 scalps portion Yuvraj Singh, whose bowling played a immense portion successful India winning the 2011 World Cup, retired with 111 victims. Virender Sehwag with 96 wickets and Suresh Raina with 36 wickets besides did their portion nether MS Dhoni. Kedar Jadhav picked up 27 wickets. These were each specializer batters successful the apical seven. Under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, adjacent Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma utilized to spot successful with a fewer overs.

Thereafter, a inclination came wherever India’s top-order batters stopped bowling. Former India fielding manager R Sridhar successful his publication ‘Coaching Beyond: My Days With The Indian Cricket Team’, has blamed the diminution connected having throwdown specialists.

“One of the main reasons for that is our coaching system. With the Indian squad now, arsenic it has been for a small while, we person 3 dedicated throwdown specialists and generally, we get 4 nets. Two nets are utilized for full-fledged bowling; successful the different 2 nets, determination is ever idiosyncratic who wants other batting. Most of the batters decorativeness their 20–25 minutes of batting, aft which determination are betwixt 3 and 5 men waiting with weapons successful their hands – I americium referring, of course, to the sidearm oregon the slinger. Across formats, each our batters lone bat, they don’t vessel astatine all,” Sridhar wrote successful his book.

New regime, crowded nets

But nether Gambhir, things person changed. In Gambhir’s archetypal bid successful Sri Lanka, India utilized astatine slightest six bowling options and successful the past crippled utilized seven, with the scarcely utilized Suryakumar and Rinku bowling astatine the death. This program spilled onto the ODIs arsenic well.

India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who was called for fishy enactment immoderate years backmost during a Mumbai Indians match, ne'er bowled till Gautam Gambhir became the coach. In the 3rd lucifer of the Sri Lanka bid astatine Pallekele, helium had amazed everyone by giving the 19th implicit to Rinku, who picked 2 wickets and past the past to himself, grabbing 2 scalps.

The variety

It is not conscionable astir other bowling options, Surya is astir apt the archetypal Indian skipper successful immoderate format, who has the luxury of having truthful galore bowling options. In Arshdeep Singh, helium has a left-arm seamer. In Mayank Yadav, a tearaway gait bowler. Another pacer Harshit Rana is waiting successful the wings.

In the rotation department, determination is simply a enigma spinner successful Varun Chakravarthy, an off-spinner successful Washington Sundar and a leg-spinner successful Ravi Bishnoi. Parag and Tilak vessel off-spin, portion Abhishek Sharma is simply a much than utile left-arm spinner.

Not to forget, Suryakumar Yadav besides enjoys the work of 2 due seam bowling all-rounders — Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Gwalior: India’s Hardik Pandya bowls a transportation during the archetypal T20 International cricket lucifer betwixt India and Bangladesh astatine Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium, successful Gwalior, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma)

Ahead of the archetypal lucifer successful Gwalior, the skipper had said that having other bowling enactment is simply a “good headache.”

“It’s a bully headache to person erstwhile you are connected the tract connected whom to bowl. Every clip you person an other option, it’s a bully thing,” helium said.

Now with respective multifaceted cricketers successful their playing XI, and citing the notation of the Sri Lanka bid wherever helium bowled Rinku and himself successful the past 2 overs, Surya said helium would not privation specified a concern to originate again. “Aisi naubat na aa ye toh acha hai (I anticipation that concern volition not travel again).”

“I enjoyed it and we are 2-0 starring successful the series. So we thought let’s bash thing different. We had overs near of the accelerated bowlers but I wanted to bash thing antithetic due to the fact that the wicket was turning and I conscionable took a chance,” helium explained. If specified a naubat arises again, helium has much men now, each acceptable to person a crack. It’s 2024, but feels similar 2011 again.