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Yuvraj as a full-fledged bowling option, post-2011 World Cup?

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
With Yuvraj being in the headlines since his comeback, here's something to think about. Since the 2011 World Cup win, these figures may suggest an idea often thought about for him, but never really implemented. He's been doing more than his bit as a full-fledged bowling option.
Code:
Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts  BBI   Ave Econ SR   4 5   
 57   47 326.4    5 1605   50 5/31 32.10 4.91 39.2 1 1
Since the year 2009, or rather, since the home ODI series against the visiting England team in 2008 (when Pietersen made a rather 'dirty' comment on his bowling), he's clocked several overs in those 57 matches (though he missed ten innings) and has got exactly fifty wickets, at an average of 32 and a strike rate slightly under 40. He's also sent down nearly seven overs an innings, which is a little less than what you can get from a regular bowler- and with the bat, he's averaged a shade under 45, striking a little bit over 90.
Code:
Mat Inns NO Runs  HS  Ave     BF    SR 100 50  0  4s  6s  
 57   53 10 1910 138* 44.41 2118 90.17   5 12  3 207  44
Fair, his batting has been up and down, and also included a phase where his fitness was questioned, but when on song, he's been phenomenal.

They can, perhaps, take something out of it. His batting alone isn't good enough for Tests, but if he can also send down at least 15 overs an innings, he's useful. He can do for his team what Gayle, Mathews, Astle and Styris did (or still do) for theirs. He can be the one number six contender who can actually bowl, and India's number six should be a bowling option. Even in his stronger format, 50-over cricket, he can play as a regular bowler, bowling the bulk of the ten overs, instead of sharing overs with other batsmen as a part-timer.

What won't quite work with the idea, across formats, is that the Indian bowling is an area of weakness, and he won't quite help strengthen it. He's not a strike bowler. Besides, they need to play spinners as their main bowlers until they've got a batch of express pacers, so he doesn't quite fit in there again. Most of his best figures come inside India, so he'll struggle outside. Ideally, the Indians can play him as a fifth bowler, and with seven batsmen, benefit at home if local curators provide pitches that are significantly spin-friendly to make him a competent strike bowler.

He's certainly not India's best all-rounder, and frontline bowlers like Irfan and Ashwin are more relevant to the team's balance, but this is definitely an option.
 

Scaly piscine

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
You can't infer from his ODI bowling performances that he'll be a reasonable bowling option in Test cricket. His bowling record in FC cricket and Test cricket is nothing short of horrendous. Also people are suggesting his bowling has dropped off sharply since his return to cricket.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Was absolutely awful today. Still spearing it in round-armed, as is his wont, but pitching it on a good length rather than full, so was total fodder.

Good to see him back tho, anyway. :)
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
The way things stand now-
  • Yuvraj had an up-and-down World T20 with the ball, and struggled to keep up his impressive T20I strike rate, but bowled plenty.
  • He then scored a double century in the Duleep Trophy.
  • Number six is still a revolving door, and they still haven't found one who's also a regular bowling option- that would seal the spot.
  • Yuvraj is picked for India A in the practice match, and in that squad, is the lone spinner. Plenty of overs of his left-arm spin are expected.
  • Rank turners are likely. Yuvraj will lick his lips when he takes the ball.
  • In the last five Tests at home, Ashwin has had runaway success and Ojha, who often bowls flat, has had decent success.
Surely he's in it as a number six batsman and third spinner?
Scaly_piscine said:
His bowling record in FC cricket and Test cricket is nothing short of horrendous.
He's been playing Test/FC cricket for nearly a decade, and bowled very, very sparingly. He was hardly a bowling option until that one series against England at home. Things have changed, as those ODI figures suggest.
 
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Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Yuvraj is a good limited overs bowler - indeed, perhaps good enough to act as the fifth frontline bowler when conditions suit - but there's no way he has the skillset to be a Test allrounder. His bowling really shouldn't be a factor in his Test selection, especially when someone like Sehwag is already in the team anyway.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
Yuvraj is a good limited overs bowler - indeed, perhaps good enough to act as the fifth frontline bowler when conditions suit - but there's no way he has the skillset to be a Test allrounder. His bowling really shouldn't be a factor in his Test selection, especially when someone like Sehwag is already in the team anyway.
Sehwag has had one injury too many, and has hardly bowled lately, and having him bowl even two overs, let alone twenty, is a stretch. Especially when he's also way short of runs and needs to score enough to stay in the national side.

Ideally, you'd want Yuvraj to bowl fully all the time, not just when the conditions suit. He'll make a very useful support bowler for a three-seam attack on seamer-friendly wickets. Flat pitches, though, will be his weakness.
 
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Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Sehwag has had one injury too many, and has hardly bowled lately, and having him bowl even two overs, let alone twenty, is a stretch. Especially when he's also way short of runs and needs to score enough to stay in the national side.

Ideally, you'd want Yuvraj to bowl fully all the time, not just when the conditions suit. He'll make a very useful support bowler for a three-seam attack on seamer-friendly wickets. Flat pitches, though, will be his weakness.
There's no way in hell Yuvraj should be bowling 20 overs a day in Test cricket either. He wouldn't bowl that many overs for Bangladesh or Zimbabwe ffs.

He works in limited overs cricket - especially T20 - because he's hard to get under, and if the pitch is holding up then his changes of pace will see him even take the odd wicket against batsmen trying to force the pace. None of that is going to happen in Test cricket.
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
I think he is a very real option in the subcontinent in Tests. We'll see I guess.
 

ViruTheBest

Banned
He can definitely get through a few overs in T20 and ODI's AND make an impact but not sure about tests.

I think in tests he will mainly be used to give the primary bowlers a break or if they want to change ends. But I think even here he will pick up the odd wicket.

Even he must fancy picking up a few cheap english wickets this series. :D
 

Viscount Tom

International Debutant
Maybe KP but the collapses to spin were helped by DRS last winter I can see a few been missed.

Also Yuvraj isn't good enough as a batsman to be in the test side tbh.
 

ViruTheBest

Banned
Maybe KP but the collapses to spin were helped by DRS last winter I can see a few been missed.

Also Yuvraj isn't good enough as a batsman to be in the test side tbh.
On home conditions and coming in at no6 it isn't that difficult with at least 300 already on board. He has 3 100's v Pak in tests in similar conditions. Also he scored 50 in his last test match in england before the injury. I would have him ahead of Raina although we may have more suitable uncapped players, it is clear these ODI stars will get first go.
 

dhillon28

U19 Debutant
one must always remember that being recognised as a part time spinner often leads to batsmen not always concentrating against your bowling as they would to a front liner. They would also spend less time pre match analysing your bowling as they know you do not constitute the majority of the bowling they are likely to face. Also playing in the side as a part time spinner means that there is no expectation on you to perform and you can play freely.
 

Viscount Tom

International Debutant
I think most people would have him ahead of Raina who quite frankly isn't to my mind making enough of an effort to go get some experience on pitches that bounce which is a shame really because he's got talent anyone can see that but he needs to work on his technique.

As for the coming in at 300 that's fair enough but in test matches you want someone who can tough it out if need be not just capitalise India in that regard still haven't replaced Ganguly never mind VVS and Dravid.
 

ViruTheBest

Banned
I think most people would have him ahead of Raina who quite frankly isn't to my mind making enough of an effort to go get some experience on pitches that bounce which is a shame really because he's got talent anyone can see that but he needs to work on his technique.

As for the coming in at 300 that's fair enough but in test matches you want someone who can tough it out if need be not just capitalise India in that regard still haven't replaced Ganguly never mind VVS and Dravid.
Raina is not a test player. Ganguly knew how to fight it out at 6 even though he couldn't play the short ball he knew how to deal with it. That's what Raina needs to learn but even he can be steady at home.

You haven't replaced Flintoff and he wasn't amazing either. Strauss won't be hard to replace as he was quite poor and average at best. As for replacing legends, it's always hard. But I am feeling positive about Pujara and Kohli, in fact I am sure they will make that spot theirs and succeed. The only batsmen I am worried about is Gambhir who is out of form and cementing the no6 spot. It already has quite a settled look.

I think Yuvraj can cope with pressure at home. Against Pak I remember we were losing wickets all round and he still hit a 100. It is at home too but just a case of him recovering from illness. I said 300 because I do believe that is the scenario he will be walking into mostly.
 

Kohli_fan

Banned
I think most people would have him ahead of Raina who quite frankly isn't to my mind making enough of an effort to go get some experience on pitches that bounce which is a shame really because he's got talent anyone can see that but he needs to work on his technique.

As for the coming in at 300 that's fair enough but in test matches you want someone who can tough it out if need be not just capitalise India in that regard still haven't replaced Ganguly never mind VVS and Dravid.
Yeah look mate, Kohli right now is one of the best players in the world in all formats of the game, and Pujara did the business recently at number 3 we have a conveyor belt of batters coming through a bit like the Aussies in the 90's

I would be more concerned if the board of my team dropped a player who clearly preferred playing for Delhi than his "country" but then now are reduced to pitching him as their best hope!

KP is a good player but he is carrying England on his shoulders that is a lot of pressure to be quite honest, England against spin in India are very average, they have had their arse kicked in India so many times it is not even funny.

Mate our dressing room is a very sacred place our team certainly wont be pulling any punches, we took a hiding in England last year and we are all on board to give England an absolute whipping there is no doubt about that!
 

Viscount Tom

International Debutant
Raina's not too old so there's no point writing him off an injury that forces him to miss the IPL and then need to get some cricket before a tour someplace might help say if he gets a short term thing with a County side god knows that'd be handy for him.

Flintoffs stats were unfair to him but he provided balance. Strauss was more than just a batsman to the side though just a shame his catching went in the final 2 years. Gambhir's just atrocious has done sod all for about 3 years Tendulkar seems to be a bit out of form too but you can never tell how long it'll last with him was definitely troubled by Boult against the Kiwis.

My main worry with Yuvraj is that he's only what 4 or 5 months in remission and lets be fair he was never the fittest player beforehand so I think he might suffer in terms of endurance physically.

Back onto the openers though has Rahane coming along haven't kept up much with India's domestic matches but he looked nice in England last year.

Kohli fan are you new Indian No.6 batman or something?
 
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Viscount Tom

International Debutant
KP I wouldn't say is carrying the team. IF the pressures there for him so be it Its KP pressure doesn't seem to be something he feels in regards to performing.

Trott and Cook are both good players on the slower pitches Cook got a couple of 90s over the winter Compton's a good player now he seems to have worke through the mental block that held him back over the years.
 

Kohli_fan

Banned
KP I wouldn't say is carrying the team. IF the pressures there for him so be it Its KP pressure doesn't seem to be something he feels in regards to performing.

Trott and Cook are both good players on the slower pitches Cook got a couple of 90s over the winter Compton's a good player now he seems to have worke through the mental block that held him back over the years.
KP does seem to play in a care free way, which does mean that pressure perhaps wont be an issue, but he clearly sees this (playing test cricket)as the way to build his brand which will ultmately ensure that his value in the IPL stays pretty high so he will no doubt be motivated to do that.

Trott and Cook are both grinders but playing in India is a different matter completely! KP is the only guy that can influence a match there!

Compton has only player county cricket India will be a tough place for him to debut, better players than him have gone there and failed woefully to be quite honest.
 

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