India need to get bowling balance

MANOEUVRING India got SA 286 all out but Bhuvneshwar apart, their other pacers looked confused about their roles

things the visitors would have contemplated after the third day’s play was washed out at Newlands on Sunday.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been the standout bowler with four wickets so far. His pace has increased but Kumar still relies mainly on swing, for which he needs to pitch it up. It involves a fair amount of risk, of getting carted even if slightly overpitched.

That explains why he had the highest economy

(4.57) among the five

Indian bowlers in the first innings.

In the South Africa second innings, Hardik Pandya (4.25) has given away most runs per over, but dislodged both wickets.

The captain of a side should not fret over runs conceded by the bowler as long as he gets wickets.

But that leaves other bowlers with the responsibility of either curtailing the run flow or chip in with wickets. Unfortunately, the rest of the bowling line-up seemed confused about their roles.

In the first innings, only two bowlers averaged less than three – Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami. But why bowl the world’s top spinner for just seven overs when the less-experienced Pandya (4.41) and Jasprit Bumrah (3.84) were allowing South Africa to maintain a run rate of over four?

ASHWIN IMPRESSES

During the five-over spell Ashwin bowled in tandem with Kumar and Shami, Quinton de Kock impatiently threw away his wicket and Keshav Maharaj was dropped by Shikhar Dhawan at slip.

It was clear Ashwin was making things happen, but he was pulled out of the attack with South Africa at 221/7 and just two overs before lunch. Had he been persisted with, South Africa could have ended for less. And then there was Shami bowling without rhythm for a long time despite changing ends. Bowling good length may fetch maidens -- Shami got six in the first innings -- but it doesn’t threaten the batsmen enough. And Shami was supposed to be India’s strike bowler!

That might have been the main reason Kohli opened with Bumrah in the second innings as he didn’t want to waste the new ball.