‘Pacers must see how to exploit the slow pitches’

NEW DELHI: On a day when Australia sprang a surprise by picking three spinners and just one pacer, it was an Indian seamer who inflicted maximum damage. Mohammed Shami picked 4/60 in 14.4 overs – more scalps than any other bowler on the opening day of the second Test – to reiterate a point that has been apparent for a few years now. That the seamers can also play a role on Indian pitches regardless of their nature. Just glance at the records of India’s current bunch of pacers for evidence.

It didn’t take long on Friday, in hazy morning conditions at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground, for Shami and Mohammed Siraj to get into the scheme of things. Just like in Nagpur in the first Test win, the duo posed problems to the Australian batters even before the visitors could pay heed to the spin trio of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.

A hint of movement was on offer with the new ball, enough for Shami to get a length delivery to straighten a tad and find the edge of David Warner’s bat. Warner was given a proper working over, by Siraj in particular, with the judicious use of the short ball, copping a bruising blow on his elbow and another on his helmet.

When Shami and Siraj gave way to the spinners after their opening spells, it is customary to expect the pacers to take a backseat and watch the likes of Ashwin and Jadeja weave their magic. But on Friday, Shami and Siraj were in play right through. Between them, they bowled 24.4 of the 78.4 overs that Australia batted.

“There are cracks running through the surface. The cracks are not stable. They were hitting those cracks. On top of that, Shami and Siraj are very good bowlers. You expect them to get something with the new ball. And when it is reversing also, they are very good,” opener Usman Khawaja, who topscored with 81 for Australia, said on Friday.

Shami’s skills are well-documented: his delightfully perfect seam position and ability to hit that in-between length, where batters aren’t sure whether to be forward or back, earning him his 223 Test victims.

What is also praiseworthy is Shami’s willingness to maintain his intensity all through a day’s play, which he sees as an essential facet of bowling fast in India.

“In India, you will get a bit of help with the new ball if anything. With the old ball, you can get it to reverse. As a fast bowler in India, you have to hit the right areas and maintain your pace,” Shami told reporters on Friday.

Neither Shami nor Siraj shied away from pitching the ball short either. “There is obviously more bounce overseas, but the short ball is a good weapon in India too. The bouncer should be in play,” he added.

Equally important is the mindset. It is often drilled into you that pacers will have a negligible role to play in India; Shami uses whatever little help is available to its optimum.

“All the pacers have played domestic cricket and come here. The pacers know these conditions. It is wrong to say that Indian pitches are for spinners or for pacers. If you look at this domestic season too, pacers have taken wickets. The pitch will be on the slower side in India. You have to accept that and see what you can do to make the most of the conditions. If you don’t get anything, you will at least get reverse swing,” Shami said.

Shami did get a hint of reverse swing with the old ball on Friday. It was clearly too good for the Aussie tail, the 32-year-old getting the ball to sneak through the meek defences of Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann.

Even when it was Australia’s turn to bowl late in the day, Pat Cummins sparked some interest in his three-over spell. He got one to lift from back of a length and hit Rohit Sharma’s gloves in the first over. In his next over, he beat KL Rahul’s outside edge with a delivery in the channel outside off-stump.

Will the Aussies rue the absence of a second pacer to assist Cummins? We will have the answer on Saturday.