Pace duo adds speed to India’s progress
MUMBAI: There was a time in Indian cricket when pace bowling meant merely taking the shine off the new ball. Even Sunil Gavaskar and wicket-keeper Budhi Kunderan have opened the bowling for India. Kapil Dev’s arrival in the late 1970s changed all that; he forced opposing batsmen to wear helmets, finishing with a Test record 434 wickets and inspiring generations to dream of bowling fast.
Today, India arguably have the best fast bowling arsenal in world cricket as evidenced by the recent Test series win in Australia where Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma were relentless, be it the new ball or old.
Women’s cricket too faced a similar situation for many years. Their plans revolved around spinners and batsmen with the pace resources looking thin. In recent years, it has begun to change as pace bowlers have often been at the heart of victories, at home and overseas. Two bowlers at the forefront of Indian pace surge are Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey.
THE BEGINNING
Jhulan, who made her debut 17 years ago and holds the world record for ODI wickets (215), had to carry the burden of pace bowling alone for a long time. Though Amita Sharma and Rumeli Dhar partnered her earlier, they never appeared threatening.
Jhulan’s search for an able ally finally ended in August 2014 when Shikha Pandey, 25, who hails from Karimnagar, now in Telengana, donned the national colours. With her ability to swing the ball prodigiously, Shikha superbly complemented Jhulan, who is known for extracting bounce using her height.
The two have since emerged India’s favoured new-ball pair, playing a stellar role in the team’s success. They made vital contributions in the 2017 ODI World Cup in England; Jhulan claimed 10 wickets at an average of 26.60 and Shikha eight at 23.25 to help India reach the final. Shikha’s spell against Australia in the semi-final was especially memorable where she took two important wickets to fashion her team’s win.
PURPLE PATCH
Jhulan, 36, and Shikha, 29, have emerged the standout pace duo in women’s ODIs in the last two years. They top the averages for pacers who have taken at least 20 wickets post January 1, 2017. Jhulan has taken 38 wickets from 25 games at 18.47 to top the list while Shikha is next with a tally of 46 wickets from 31 games at 19.30.
Their brilliant show has also helped India top the bowling averages in this phase -- 21.69. The pair wreaked havoc sharing four wickets apiece against England in the second ODI in Mumbai on Monday.
Shikha and Jhulan will be in action again on Thursday when India take on England in the third ODI at the Wankhede Stadium, and will get another opportunity to exploit the bounce and movement usually available on the ground.