India must adapt bowling strategy
Chetan Narula assesses the problems that stopped India from taking the final step to tournament success
There is a certain quality about this Indian team. They do not dwell for long on victory or defeat although, of course, the time span for this process of ‘moving on’ can vary.
For example, they had to quickly process and sidestep the stunning seven-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy group stage. In comparison, three days later, they would have mulled over the intense eightwicket win over South Africa a while longer.
Rest assured then, their embarrassing 180-run loss to Pakistan in the final would have been already consigned to the bin.
As Virat Kohli said post match:“You learn with every cricket game that you play and it’s up to you whether you are open to learning things or not. But completely ignoring success or failure or dwelling too much on them is no balance at all.”
These words have been often repeated in his Press briefings nowadays, for they represent expectation of the billion fans watching at home. Barring the odd effigy burnt in India, the response to this shocking loss has been quite muted. Almost as if the average fan knows that this team is better on paper than most others, certainly better than Pakistan.
It was about an off day, which coincided with a final of an ICC tournament, discounting the group-game defeat against Sri Lanka, of course. However, as Kohli pointed out above, there needs to be a learning from this defeat.
And the starting point is easy, for they only have to work out how to get one step ahead, onto the winners’ podium. India are breeding consistency – they have made at least the semi-finals of every ICC tournament since the 2012 World T20 in Sri Lanka when they exited in the group stage.
Since then, India have won the 2013 Champions Trophy; been runners-up in the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh, and semi-finalists in the 2015 ODI World Cup in Australia/New Zealand and in the 2016 World T20 at home.
Now, they have again finished runners-up in the 2017 Champions Trophy.This loss, like the one against Sri Lanka in Dhaka three years ago, ought to hurt more than the ones in 2015 and 2016, though. Both these losses came when India were rank favourites to lift the trophy, yet somehow managed to not show up on the day.
The common factor is the similarity in the names forming the Indian batting order. From Shikhar Dhawan to Rohit Sharma, Kohli to MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane on the bench, and Yuvraj Singh popping in now and then, the same names have formed the core of India’s run-scoring machine. In one way, they have been oddly effective. In another way, they have always missed the mark at the final altar.
Mostly, it depends on which side of the coin you are looking at in this particular case.
The thing that changed for India in this 2017 Champions Trophy was their bowling attack. 2015 was perhaps the last time when a fivepronged attack took the field for India, and they carried the 2011 ODI champions to the semi-finals on the back of some scintillating performances. Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav are the same names to have played in that World Cup.
So, why did this bowling attack stand out? It was in the addition of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (then injured) and Jasprit Bumrah (ODI debut in 2016) that this attack found more teeth. It is nearly impossible to remember when an Indian captain had the choice of four firstteam pacers, all together available for selection in one high-profile tournament.That only three of them played in the first couple games, and later only two did in the second half of the tournament, was down to a lack of swing afforded by the Kookaburra balls.
After Sri Lanka chased down 322 with ease, India revisited their strategy of playing four pacers (including all-rounder Hardik Pandya) and one spinner. Kumar shared the new ball with Bumrah, with both Yadav and Shami sitting out, as the Men In Blue looked to choke runs in the initial overs with tight line and length.
It is a plan that worked very well against the Proteas (35-0 in 10 overs) and in the semi-final against Bangladesh (46-2 in 10 overs), but failed against Pakistan (56-0) in the final.
The losses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan stand out because things fell apart completely when the spin option failed. Jadeja was smacked for 0-52 and 0-67 in the two games respectively, unable to complete his 10-over spell. Ashwin didn’t play the first game in Birmingham, because Kohli suspected he would be ineffective against Pakistan.The skipper’s worst fears came true in the final as the off-spinner returned 0-70 in 10 overs.
The Indian spinners were guilty of bowling too defensively, and this has been a regular trait of their plans particularly when playing overseas. Pandya’s inability to complete his quota of overs further handicaps Kohli, who then is left searching for options to complete overs despite a five-pronged bowling attack.
It is this weakness that came to the fore most on England’s flat tracks, and it will be so again, if similar pitches are laid out in the 2019 World Cup again. Meanwhile, India have two years to find alternative plans and improvise for that tournament.
The question to ask is if Kohli and the team management are even looking for change in their bid to brush this embarrassing defeat under the carpet.