Arjun
Cricketer Of The Year
Not about Indian pace (or swing) now. We've heard enough of that. With that raging debate elsewhere about India playing six batsmen or five bowlers, I now ask, why can't any of India's batsmen step up for the missing bowler? Why can't they last longer?
Talent-wise, at least two of India's batsmen are good enough to play alongside four of their bowlers, as bowlers. That would help a lot, as when you have two spinners as your best bowlers, you can have the batsman bowling seam-up as a third seamer, getting the best of both options, even abroad. If three seamers are the way to win, they can have one batsman bowling spin regularly, even replacing the second spinner in India, on green-tops, to prepare for tours. But this reluctance to bowl, as well as lack of captain's faith in these bowlers, has weakened them a lot.
In the current lineup, Sehwag has often shown a lot of promise as an off-spinner, getting turn, and also enticing the batsman on more occasion than one. In fact, he's often outperformed at least one Indian spinner on most occasions. What does he get? An extended hour on the field, and when he does bowl, the field is spread out. He's a tricky customer, bowling very slowly, and yet doesn't even get to bowl the final ODI overs! It's had its effect, as he's occasionally bowling no-balls, now bowls two long-hops an over and vanishes after two overs.
Kumble has often to lead a lone charge abroad, and when it isn't him, Harbhajan has to do the same. Sehwag could have done so much to help either with the ball then. But instead, we see over 40 overs bowled by the lone spinner (or both) and over 30 overs by their best seamer, even when their spears have been blunted. As many as twenty dead overs are bowled in each match by the bowlers- and any twenty overs by Sehwag could have changed things.
Way back in 1996, we saw Tendulkar bowl some neat, often prodigious leg-breaks. He tried to attack, and succeeded. That was when there were no all-rounders after Prabhakar retired. Having established himself as a batting great, he could have been to India what Kallis is to South Africa. But years of non-practice have reduced him, as a bowler, to someone who occasionally ambles down the wicket, bowls a mix of leg-breaks, off-breaks and straight seam-up, with at least two bad balls an over. That is, if he ever gets to bowl.
Ganguly made it to the team as an all-rounder, and started off as a capable seam bowler. But somehow, that has been forgotten and now he looks an apology of a seamer- terribly lazy run-up, lack of pace and an action that looks like that of a toddler bowling off-spin. Yet, when given an extended run, he's often bettered the inexperienced Indian seam attack, but then, his extension ends there. Let's not even talk of Yuvraj, he isn't any good at all. Or the others, who never seem to bowl a ball.
The absence of any steady, regular bowling option in the batting lineup has resulted in the selectors repeatedly picking some bits-and-pieces players or getting Irfan Pathan or Ramesh Powar to bat at seven. And the results from that have been decent, though unspectacular. But if you had this batting lineup in full strength, and one of them doubled up as a stock bowler, it could help the Indian team a lot more, couldn't it?
Talent-wise, at least two of India's batsmen are good enough to play alongside four of their bowlers, as bowlers. That would help a lot, as when you have two spinners as your best bowlers, you can have the batsman bowling seam-up as a third seamer, getting the best of both options, even abroad. If three seamers are the way to win, they can have one batsman bowling spin regularly, even replacing the second spinner in India, on green-tops, to prepare for tours. But this reluctance to bowl, as well as lack of captain's faith in these bowlers, has weakened them a lot.
In the current lineup, Sehwag has often shown a lot of promise as an off-spinner, getting turn, and also enticing the batsman on more occasion than one. In fact, he's often outperformed at least one Indian spinner on most occasions. What does he get? An extended hour on the field, and when he does bowl, the field is spread out. He's a tricky customer, bowling very slowly, and yet doesn't even get to bowl the final ODI overs! It's had its effect, as he's occasionally bowling no-balls, now bowls two long-hops an over and vanishes after two overs.
Kumble has often to lead a lone charge abroad, and when it isn't him, Harbhajan has to do the same. Sehwag could have done so much to help either with the ball then. But instead, we see over 40 overs bowled by the lone spinner (or both) and over 30 overs by their best seamer, even when their spears have been blunted. As many as twenty dead overs are bowled in each match by the bowlers- and any twenty overs by Sehwag could have changed things.
Way back in 1996, we saw Tendulkar bowl some neat, often prodigious leg-breaks. He tried to attack, and succeeded. That was when there were no all-rounders after Prabhakar retired. Having established himself as a batting great, he could have been to India what Kallis is to South Africa. But years of non-practice have reduced him, as a bowler, to someone who occasionally ambles down the wicket, bowls a mix of leg-breaks, off-breaks and straight seam-up, with at least two bad balls an over. That is, if he ever gets to bowl.
Ganguly made it to the team as an all-rounder, and started off as a capable seam bowler. But somehow, that has been forgotten and now he looks an apology of a seamer- terribly lazy run-up, lack of pace and an action that looks like that of a toddler bowling off-spin. Yet, when given an extended run, he's often bettered the inexperienced Indian seam attack, but then, his extension ends there. Let's not even talk of Yuvraj, he isn't any good at all. Or the others, who never seem to bowl a ball.
The absence of any steady, regular bowling option in the batting lineup has resulted in the selectors repeatedly picking some bits-and-pieces players or getting Irfan Pathan or Ramesh Powar to bat at seven. And the results from that have been decent, though unspectacular. But if you had this batting lineup in full strength, and one of them doubled up as a stock bowler, it could help the Indian team a lot more, couldn't it?
But you get the point - seam-bowlers do get injured, it's an unfortunate trick of the trade.
