India's tour of England 2014: The ideal bowling combination for India
The chronicles of Indian cricket in English soils offer plenty of agonizing memories. The overall records are horrendous – 27 defeats in 52 Tests as opposed to a meager tally of 5 wins. The wounds of 0-4 drubbing in the nightmarish tour of 2011 are still fresh although both the teams have undergone massive changes in the last couple of years.
Acclimatization to the conditions is absolutely essential to thrive against the home team in England, especially so for the sub-continental teams like India. As Mahendra Singh Dhoni steers his men to another tour of the jinxed nation, fans back home continue to pray for that single Test victory that keeps on eluding India.
One of the reasons that were tossed into prominence during the post-mortem investigation of the miserable tour in 2011 was the lack of penetration in the bowling department and the inability of the Indian bowlers to scoop up 20 opposition wickets. The cluelessness of the seamers, the recurring injuries and the strike bowler hobbling off after a couple of sessions – all these contributed to the collective failure of the squad resulting in the debacle.
The apparently befuddling decision of the BCCI this time around to ferry an enormous 18-member squad consisting of six seam-bowling options is, in fact, a prudent one. By doing so, the BCCI has ensured reasonable immunity against the string of injuries that are bound to plague the team in the later half of this five Test series.
However, the inexperience of the bowlers, where only Ishant Sharma can boast of having played previously in England – that too with not much efficacy, makes India prone to embarrassing errors and occasional gaffes. Adjusting to the weather and acclimatizing to the conditions will be the key to sustenance in one of the longest tours in recent history.
Selecting the bowling line-up for the first couple of Tests must not be too intriguing a job, given the relative international exposure of the Mohammed Shamis in contrast to Pankaj Singh and Stuart Binny. The English summer provides plenty of irregularity and the team selection may be tampered with later into the series after accessing the availability of options and their suitability in accordance with the pitch prognosis.
Needless to state, the colossal burden of leading the attack lies on the shoulders of Ishant Sharma in the absence of veteran Zaheer Khan. Essentially a bowler of limited capabilities with practically no swing, Ishant Sharma has been the epitome of inconsistency in recent years.
The lanky pacer who shot to fame with his ominous spells against Ricky Ponting in the 2007/08 tour of Australia has long been cast aside and replaced by a mature version who fails to pride himself in swing and pace. The talent and potential have succumbed to premature demands of sustainability; Ishant has gradually and imperceptibly reverted into ordinariness, much to the dismay of his followers and aficionados.
The plethora of underperformance has been occasionally complemented with spurts of excellence, but such performances have been too few and far between. The exploits in New Zealand may appear to be a fitting reply to his critics, but his habitual unpredictability implies that he cannot be trusted blindly to deliver the goods in England.
Although the scarcity of swing speaks volumes against him, recent history says Ishant may prove to be effective at Trent Bridge and Lord’s. During the last tour, Ishant had run through the English middle order with 4/59 in the second innings of the first Test before scalping 5 wickets in the second Test at Trent Bridge.
While Ishant will chiefly look forward to delivering long spells tirelessly, MS Dhoni will fancy operating his strike bowlers at the other end. Both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami are wily customers with the ball and offer adequate swing and seam to be considered genuine threats.
It is of common observation that Bhuvneshwar prefers to earn his wickets early on in the game while the conditions continue to favor him. He does not boast of express pace but relies on precision and perseverance to fetch his scalps. The reluctance of sending down loose deliveries makes it difficult to score against him.