T20 World Cup 2022: "Pace gets you wickets, but also sometimes helps the batters to score freely" - Reetinder Sodhi backs India's bowling to do well
Former cricketer Reetinder Sodhi believes the lack of express pace shouldn't let anyone underestimate Team India's bowling attack in the T20 World Cup.
He feels the Men in Blue's line-up has bowlers who can swing the ball, which could keep them in good stead even in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Rohit Sharma's team has the likes of Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel in their ranks, with each pacer bringing something different to the table.
Sodhi also provided an example to indicate why express pace may not guarantee good results. He spoke about how Pakistan star Shaheen Afridi ran through India's top order in the 2021 T20 World Cup but was taken to the cleaners by Matthew Wade in the semifinals.
Speaking to India News, here's what Sodhi had to say about the quality of the Men in Blue's pace attack:
"If extra pace was the only factor necessary to win World Cups, Australia and West Indies would have won every single piece of silverware. Shaheen took three wickets against us last year, but was also smashed by Matthew Wade in the semifinals."
He added:
"Pace gets you wickets, but also sometimes helps the batters to score freely. I feel with the likes of Arshdeep, we have swing as our strength, something which other teams may not have."
As a complete bowling unit, India seems to be lagging behind: Saba Karim
Former selector Saba Karim was also present on the same panel. He replied to Sodhi's point by stressing the quality that other pace bowling attacks have.
He gave the example of Josh Hazlewood and the rest of the Australian attack. Hazlewood troubles batters with good lines and lengths even when he doesn't have excess pace. He is well-supported by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.
Josh Hazlewood
Since returning to the team: 44 wickets at 15.73 (6.87rpo)
(after his first over tonight dismissing Hales for duck)
He is the most underrated bowler in limited over format in current era. Test ka thappa hai bas. No.1 T20 bowler in the world
#AUSvsENG #ENGvsAUS https://t.co/J3ju9ripGZ
On this, Karim stated:
"When you look at other bowling attacks, they don't just have pace but also have the quality. Starc swings the ball at pace, Hazlewood bowls the hard lengths and Cummins has excellent cutters up his sleeve. So as a complete bowling unit, we seem to be lagging behind."
India will kick off their 2022 T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on October 23.
Will the Men in Blue deploy Mohammed Shami in their line-up against Pakistan? Let us know in the comments.