Panic

[sandeep]

The last 2 years have seen Indian bowlers, particularly the pace bowlers really step up their game to a level that has never been seen in Indian cricket.  As 'new' and strange it may be, the fact is that India have a pace attack that is threatening across conditions, and particularly so, if there is any assistance available for pacers. 

 

The one thing that the Indian pacers can improve upon, is their ability to absolutely wreck batting line-ups by taking wickets in clusters.  Momentum in cricket, especially test cricket, is a big factor.  The old adage of "one wicket brings two" turns out to ring true more often than pure probability indicates, and its a direct outcome of momentum.  The really good bowling units across eras know this well, and are able to sustain pressure and maximize those windows of opportunity to take wickets in bunches.  

 

For Indian fans who grew up with generation after generation of Indian teams with weak bowling 'attacks', especially away from home, it may sound greedy to demand more production from a set of bowlers who are India's best ever.  But test matches are won by taking wickets in bunches.  Take 3 or 4 wickets within an hour, and more often than not, you set the game up for the team. 

 

Regardless of what 1st innings total India ends up with - and I still hold out hope for getting close to 300, especially if the current pair gets past the 1st 45 minutes - I am waiting expectantly for the moment when Bumrah and co. have the new ball in hand and go to work against this Windies line-up.  I want to see 3 or 4 wickets snapped up in a 10-15 run spell.  They definitely possess the skill to do this, and the Duke ball on this track offers enough help to really bring them into the game.

 

Once Bumrah and Co. start taking wickets in clusters on any sort of a regular basis, it will be a psychological asset to the team - opponents will be well aware that they are only one mistake away from a 30 minute spell of play that could cost them the test match.  And that sense of impending doom often serves as a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

 

Here's hoping that later this afternoon, we get to see Indian fast bowlers inflict panic into a batting line-up.  Something that we can expect to see on a regular basis in the coming games. 

[express bowling]

Taking wickets in clusters and wrapping up the tail quickly.

 

These are the next 2 steps of our ever improving pace  battery which is ready to move from a developing pace attack to a developed pace attack.

 

They will do it this year.

[sandeep]

3 minutes ago, express bowling said:

and wrapping up the tail quickly

I think Boom and co are reasonably decent at knocking out the tail, its just that the tail in current era starts at #9 not at #7.  In the 80s etc, umpires used to be much more aggressive in giving out legbefores against batsmen who are considered 'weak' - its human nature.  These days, with DRS etc, thats no longer the case...

[sandeep]

23 minutes ago, express bowling said:

They will do it this year.

Yeah, I'm pretty optimistic on this front as well.  This current crop gives me hope that they will be able to break the pattern of young Indian bowlers bowling a lot of good deliveries, but not able to stack them together in a sequence to produce the wicket. I vividly remember Zaheer, Ishant etc in their younger years doing just this.  And giving us the impression that they are "unlucky".   Luck is undeniably a factor of course, but good bowlers don't just bowl the odd jaffa - cough, cough Umesh Yadav cough.  They are good because they consistently put the ball in the right areas, and sustain pressure, producing a mistake by the batsmen.  This is where Bumrah is so, so different than those who came before him.  An old soul, polished diamond of a bowler.  Rarely lets up the pressure.

Edited August 23, 2019 by sandeep

[express bowling]

4 minutes ago, sandeep said:

I think Boom and co are reasonably decent at knocking out the tail, its just that the tail in current era starts at #9 not at #7.  In the 80s etc, umpires used to be much more aggressive in giving out legbefores against batsmen who are considered 'weak' - its human nature.  These days, with DRS etc, thats no longer the case...

 

We have allowed the tail to wag a bit too frequently in the last 2 away series.  Even the last 2 wickets have been tough to come by at times.

[express bowling]

14 minutes ago, sandeep said:

Yeah, I'm pretty optimistic on this front as well.  This current crop gives me hope that they will be able to break the pattern of young Indian bowlers bowling a lot of good deliveries, but not able to stack them together in a sequence to produce the wicket. I vividly remember Zaheer, Ishant etc in their younger years doing just this.  And giving us the impression that they are "unlucky".   Luck is undeniably a factor of course, but good bowlers don't just bowl the odd jaffa.  They are good because they consistently put the ball in the right areas, and sustain pressure, producing a mistake by the batsmen.  This is where Bumrah is so, so different than those who came before him.  An old soul, polished diamond of a bowler.  Rarely lets up the pressure.

 

Check out the test bowling stats of 2018 I had posted in the Speed and Performance thread.

 

Bumrah, Shami and Ishant have featured in the top 10 most accurate pacers of 2018 and Bumrah and Shami among the top 7 quickest pacers.

 

They have been able to put a high percentage of deliveries in the right areas while maintaining high pace.

 

And this has resulted in all of them inducing a mistake every 4 to 4.5 balls. This is exceptional.  (  Bumrah has of course topped the list in terms of all 3 parameters )

 

This kind of pressure creation at pace from 3 Indian quicks in tandem has never happened before.

 

This is mature and quality bowling.

[sandeep]

12 minutes ago, express bowling said:

 

Check out the test bowling stats of 2018 I had posted in the Speed and Performance thread.

 

Bumrah, Shami and Ishant have featured in the top 10 most accurate pacers of 2018 and Bumrah and Shami among the top 7 quickest pacers.

 

They have been able to put a high percentage of deliveries in the right areas while maintaining high pace.

 

And this has resulted in all of them inducing a mistake every 4 to 4.5 balls. This is exceptional.  (  Bumrah has of course topped the list in terms of all 3 parameters )

 

This kind of pressure creation at pace from 3 Indian quicks in tandem has never happened before.

 

This is mature and quality bowling.

I know right.  Can't help but break out into a huge grin when facts and stats show just how good they are.  Its almost 'pinch-me-is-it-real' stuff.

[express bowling]

14 minutes ago, sandeep said:

I know right.  Can't help but break out into a huge grin when facts and stats show just how good they are.  Its almost 'pinch-me-is-it-real' stuff.

 

I think Bumrah is setting the high standards for the whole group,  of of combining pace, bounce and accuracy, both by his bowling as well by his inputs.

 

He and Ishant already said in an interview that whenever Shami or Ishant bowls a bit slower, Bumrah eggs them on to bowl quicker.

Edited August 23, 2019 by express bowling

[sandeep]

2 minutes ago, express bowling said:

 

I think Bumrah is setting the high standards for the whole group,  of of combining pace, bounce and accuracy, both by his bowling as well by his inputs.

 

He already said in an interview that whenever Shami or Ishant bowls a bit slower, he eggs them on to bowl quicker.

Yeah Ishant said the same in his BwC stint.

[Vilander]

1 hour ago, express bowling said:

 

I think Bumrah is setting the high standards for the whole group,  of of combining pace, bounce and accuracy, both by his bowling as well by his inputs.

 

He and Ishant already said in an interview that whenever Shami or Ishant bowls a bit slower, Bumrah eggs them on to bowl quicker.

 

1 hour ago, sandeep said:

Yeah Ishant said the same in his BwC stint.

there is a cliche ' fast bowlers like hunting in packs' .

 

Lots of truth in it, its the man thing to do. When batsmen feel threatened bowlers especially fast-bowlers feel all powerful and they like doing that in a pack. 

[maniac]

Just checking in 

 

 

 

[Vijy]

bumrah looked a bit rusty this innings. hopefully we will see him return to peak form soon enough.

[NameGoesHere]

Good post OP. 

 

But from the headline I thought you were going to talk of Shastri's re-appointment, our $hitty Test batting, the return of rockstar Rayadu.  And the need to start panicking.

[Mirpur express]

True.

 

Just look at the match at Nottingham last year. Hardik took six wickets in no time.

[sandeep]

On 8/24/2019 at 7:19 PM, Mirpur express said:

True.

 

Just look at the match at Nottingham last year. Hardik took six wickets in no time.

Might want to check out the highlights of Bumrah's 5-fer.  Reduced West Indies to 50/8.  Stumps flying all over the place, with batsmen desperately trying to block the ball. 

 

While your fast bowling phactory is churning out products like Sohail "2 spells and I'm out of gas" Khan, Mohammed "Unlucky, but in reality not good enough for test cricket" Amir, and Hasan "hurts his neck while doing fake phuss phuss" Ali.   

 

 

[sandeep]

On 8/23/2019 at 9:35 AM, express bowling said:

They will do it this year.

I guess we didn't have to wait too long huh?

[express bowling]

10 minutes ago, sandeep said:

I guess we didn't have to wait too long huh?

 

Very happy to see it.  It is a naturally progressive process as they mature as a bowling group with Bumrah as the leader.

[Vk1]

Bumrah has bowled a spell for ages even if it's against west Indies. Closest I can recollect was Zaheer against Australia on 5th day hitting stumps and pads repeatedly with reverse swing to close the test in an hour or Shami doing the same to windies in Kolkata. 

 

[sandeep]

On 8/24/2019 at 12:47 PM, NameGoesHere said:

Good post OP. 

 

But from the headline I thought you were going to talk of Shastri's re-appointment, our $hitty Test batting, the return of rockstar Rayadu.  And the need to start panicking.

It is what it is.  Let's celebrate the good even as we rightly castigate the bad.  I was waiting for a performance like this - our pace bowlers are good enough to run through batting line-ups, if the conditions offer them even slight assistance.   Feels quite good saying that and knowing that its 100% accurate.

 

 

Edited August 26, 2019 by sandeep

[Mirpur express]

11 hours ago, sandeep said:

Might want to check out the highlights of Bumrah's 5-fer.  Reduced West Indies to 50/8.  Stumps flying all over the place, with batsmen desperately trying to block the ball. 

 

While your fast bowling phactory is churning out products like Sohail "2 spells and I'm out of gas" Khan, Mohammed "Unlucky, but in reality not good enough for test cricket" Amir, and Hasan "hurts his neck while doing fake phuss phuss" Ali.   

 

 

 

Lol. So if Bumrah gets a fiver against windies you are going to have a go at Pakistan supporters? Good for you. I've never said anything bad about Bumrah. I watched the spell. It was fantastic. Before we saw Bumrah only seaming the ball but now he swings it as well. Very good bowler. 

 

 

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by Mirpur express