3 big takeaways from Team India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey's press conference ahead of 4th T20I vs West Indies
Action in the India-West Indies series will shift from the Caribbean to the United States of America, with the final two T20Is set to be played at Lauderhill in Florida over the weekend.
The Men in Blue have come under some criticism for their tactical decisions, particularly in the bowling department. The likes of Axar Patel have been used rather strangely, with Hardik Pandya deploying his resources in an ineffective fashion.
India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey addressed the media ahead of the fourth T20I, which will be played on Saturday. The series is on the line for the visitors, who still need to win the remaining two games to overturn the deficit the Windies inflicted on them earlier.
Here are three takeaways from Team India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey's press conference ahead of the fourth T20I against West Indies.
#3 Team India expect batting beauties to be rolled out in Florida
Asked about the conditions India expect to encounter in Florida, Paras Mhambrey shed light on the kind of pitches the visitors have been playing on in the nets. He stated that while the series has seen slow wickets so far, batting could become easier in the USA.
“It is a little bit different with the black soil. The kind of soil we get in north of India. It is going to be a good wicket to bat on. The ball will come on to the bat. That is what we saw in the nets. Looks like it is going to be a high-scoring game,” Mhambrey said.
The stats back up the bowling coach's claim, with both of India's T20Is to date in Florida being high-scoring encounters.
Moreover, it is important to note that the venue has historically favored the side batting first, although that could be a tricky call to make with rain in the forecast.
#2 Mukesh Kumar is being viewed as a long-term all-format bowling option
Mhambrey lavished praise on Mukesh Kumar, who has made his international debut in all three formats during the ongoing tour of the West Indies. The fast bowler is primarily touted to be a red-ball option but has been quite impressive in the limited-overs formats as well.
After making some inroads with the new ball in the ODIs, Mukesh has revealed a new side of his bowling ability at the death in the shortest format. Hitting yorkers fairly accurately and growing in confidence with his slower balls, the 29-year-old was used as a specialist death bowler by Hardik in the third T20I.
Mhambrey said about Mukesh:
"I’m extremely happy with the way he [Mukesh] has progressed. Not many people get the opportunity to feature [make his debut] in all three formats. But to get a chance to play in all three formats is fantastic.”
"We are very happy with the way he has progressed; the thought process, the discussion we had with him and his approach towards the game is fabulous. You need someone like him to come here on a tour and play against tough opponents on a different wicket, which is never easy. But the way he has gone about it and the character he has shown [makes us] extremely happy," he added.
Mhambrey also stressed that Mukesh has the ability to feature for the Men in Blue in all three formats.
"Going forward, since we know he is capable of playing all three formats, we need to be smart with his workload management. He has played a lot of domestic cricket and got quality skills out there," he continued.
Mukesh is clearly being viewed as a long-term option who can feature across formats and conditions for the national side. He might even be a dark horse to make India's Asia Cup squad.
#1 Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are going to be used as part-time bowling options
The biggest takeaway came in the form of Mhambrey revealing India's plans with respect to finding additional bowling options. The Men in Blue have often struggled with finding top-order batters who can roll their arm over and add some balance to the team.
In Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, both of whom have made their T20I debuts in the ongoing series, India have two bowlers who can contribute part-time spin.
Speaking about the same, the bowling coach said:
"When you have someone who can chip in, it is nice. I have seen Tilak and Yashasvi bowl since U19 days. They are capable of being good bowlers. They can work on it at this level. When you got options like these, it is nice to have them. We will see them bowl soon hopefully, we are working on it. It will take time. Soon, we will see them bowling an over at least."
It will be greatly interesting to see how Tilak and Jaiswal fare with the ball at the international level, with both part-timers appearing to have a solid foundation in the department.