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Pacers aplenty for India to pick from

CG

By CG
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CG

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Jason Hughes opened the door the other day when he said that he would be getting back on the horse and making a strong effort to become the best cricketer he could possibly be. Michael Clarke then walked respectfully through with the words: see you out in the middle. Phillip Hughes is no longer with us, the tragedy of his death is still being mourned and grieved, but equally, the majesty of his life was celebrated in the most fitting manner in Macksville. The message has, however, come through loud and clear from the two teams: it’s time to play cricket again. Cricket Australia have been careful to reiterate that the decision on whether to take the field in Tuesday’s first Test is a personal one, and that absence from the game would in no way affect future selection. This is, of course, the only possible compassionate approach given the circumstances. That said, while Hughes is not with us any more, the great game of cricket certainly is, and on the first day of the tour match between the Indians and a Cricket Australia President’s XI, there were encouraging signs that it was possible to attempt a full return to normalcy. For the Indians, Varun Aaron, the pick of the bowlers with four wickets, along with Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, all sent down bouncers, with no adverse reactions. When the Indians had their turn at bat, it was much the same as Josh Lalor, Evan Gulbis and Sam Rainbird were not shy of banging the ball in. If this was not the most clear sign that, despite all that happened, the game must go on, then nothing will convince those who still have doubts. For their part, India find themselves in the most unusual situation on a tour Down Under. For perhaps the first time, India have four quick bowlers who can all hurry batsmen. Aaron is comfortably the quickest, consistently keeping the needle over the 140kph mark while occasionally breaching 150kph with effort deliveries. Umesh is not far behind, but bowls a different length, and is capable of putting in long spells while not dipping below 135kph. Ishant has his good days and bad, and of late, Shami has not hit his straps in the manner the team would have liked. Yet, no touring Indian team in history has had four bowlers of this pace in the mix. There has been the odd exception, such as a young Javagal Srinath, or Sreesanth at his best, but even in these cases, the support has come from distinctly slower practitioners who relied on seam or swing movement to prise out batsmen. While opening the tour at the batting-friendly Adelaide Oval might not really support the quest for pace, India should seriously consider what their best bowling combination is. Ishant, the most experienced of the lot, should be penciled in without much thought, and Aaron has done his case of being the next in line no harm at all. In the past, Aaron has had trouble with beamers, and it was considered a bit of a risk to play him as one of the frontline bowlers, in case he had to be removed from the attack early in the piece. The decline of Shami in recent times, more due to bowling as much as he has in as many different formats without having pause to assess his game, means that the toss up for the third spot could well come down to Umesh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. While Bhuvneshwar has been a sure shot to open the bowling in most conditions, and was the pick of the bowlers in England not long ago, his distinct lack of pace could play into the hands of batsmen here in Australia. If the new ball is swinging, and there’s no reason to believe Bhuvneshwar will be unable to extract significant movement, for that is a skill he has demonstrated in a variety of conditions, the first spell will not be a cause for concern. But, in hot weather, under clear skies, the ball could lose its shine rather quickly, making it difficult for the captain to use Bhuvneshwar effectively as the day wears on. It is for this reason that India may contemplate something they have never so much as been allowed to in the past: choose pace over all else when stocking their bowling resources. One serious concern in doing so is that both Aaron and Umesh tend to be expensive, and if two batsmen are in the middle of a purple patch, it may be difficult for India to wrest back control of proceedings. But it’s not always wise to go into a Test series considering the worst-case scenario. Rather, there are times when attack – the outright pursuit of wickets at all costs – is the best form of defence. India have some thinking to do ahead of the first Test, and for once, it’s not a question of which fast bowlers to pick, but which ones to leave out.
http://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-article/pacers-aplenty-india-pick/137220
rkt.india Grand Master

rkt.india

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Our bowlers' line & length and consistency is not great. Go with 4 pacers/med-pacer combo. 3 will not be sufficient to get wickets.
They are not patient enough.
express bowling Grand Master

express bowling

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Our bowlers' line & length and consistency is not great. Go with 4 pacers/med-pacer combo. 3 will not be sufficient to get wickets.
Their control is not upto the mark. But it won't be easy to include 4 pacers though. I don't think our team management will go with just 5 batsmen + wk. And they will play one spinner in Adelaide.
sweetaskandy Newbie

sweetaskandy

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Yes, but overall its w/l test ratio is superior - despite starting about 50 years later as a test nation. Maybe the regional 'big boy' talks too much and backs it up too little on the pitch? Before someone mentions it - cricket didnt start in 2000, the years before that do count. :hysterical:

CG Collaborator

CG

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Yes, but overall its w/l test ratio is superior - despite starting about 50 years later as a test nation. Maybe the regional 'big boy' talks too much and backs it up too little on the pitch? Before someone mentions it - cricket didnt start in 2000, the years before that do count. :hysterical:
You play bangladesh regularly .You have not even won a test in india. First get off the duck then we will discuss.
rkt.india Grand Master

rkt.india

Posted
Posted
Yes, but overall its w/l test ratio is superior - despite starting about 50 years later as a test nation. Maybe the regional 'big boy' talks too much and backs it up too little on the pitch? Before someone mentions it - cricket didnt start in 2000, the years before that do count. :hysterical:
How many wins outside SC?
moniker Newbie

moniker

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Cricinfo will show that Lanka and Pakistan both enjoy w/l ratios superior to India's in test cricket. It is not a matter of debate - the evidence is clear. http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283877.html You are below 0.8 :hysterical: :two_thumbs_up:
India has never played Bangladesh at home. Take out Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and and it is 0.57 for SL. http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/team/8.html?class=1;filter=advanced;opposition=1;opposition=2;opposition=3;opposition=4;opposition=5;opposition=6;opposition=7;orderby=default;template=results;type=team 0.71 for India. http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/team/6.html?class=1;filter=advanced;opposition=1;opposition=2;opposition=3;opposition=4;opposition=5;opposition=7;opposition=8;orderby=default;template=results;type=team Pakistan, I'd accept, they had the bowlers to take 20 wickets regularly and have been the superior test side in the past.

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