Indian cricket: Show some concern for bowling too

Whenever I start talking to someone about cricket, all they want to talk about is the dominant aspect of the game- batting. The issue is not that they crave to watch batsmen swinging balls for fours and sixes, but the inclination towards batting and the unceasing apathy towards bowling. The ignorance towards bowling is also not limited within the fraternity that has either limited knowledge of cricket or gawks at the TV screens while a cricket match is on and raises daffy questions because they wish to convey that although they don’t have any particular involvement in the game, they are conversant with its intricacies.

It’s a fact that we are renowned in the cricketing world for producing remarkable batsmen one after the other, but isn’t it possible to understand the implication of having some world-class bowlers who can win matches for the team on their own? The history of cricket is replete with the evidence that it is the bowling that gives a team the power to dominate and become the king.

Today, the Indian team is moving abruptly; it has lost its direction. Batsmen are receiving a lot of flak for their poor show, and the selectors and the well-wishers of Indian cricket are flummoxed. The collapse of batting in the Test series against England and the recent revelation of its weaknesses against Pakistan should be a headache for the selectors, but they should also feel the dearth of not having a single top-class bowler.

Unfortunately, the solid and established Indian batting culture leaves little scope for insinuating a proper discussion on what we lack to produce some good bowlers. When Sourav Ganguly announced his retirement, everybody fussed over who will be the next Ganguly; the same happened when Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman said goodbye to cricket. And now the anxiety is about Sachin Tendulkar.  Rabid fans have already started fretting over who will fill the big boots of Tendulkar. Nobody will. But we will definitely witness the emergence of world-class batsmen. In fact, we already have top-class batsmen like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

There’s an immediate need to shift the focus and center it on finding some better bowlers. Perhaps with right guidance and proper opportunities, we can succeed in making even Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed excellent bowlers as they have demonstrated in recent matches that they have immense talent and potential to play for India. But by naming Kumar and Ahmad, I am not going gaga over them. My intention is also not to suggest, even for a moment, that the long wait is over, and we have found bowlers with any kind of extraordinary talent.

And while suggesting the name of both Kumar and Ahmad, I haven’t forgotten Praveen Kumar, Sreesanth and Umesh Yadav. Where are they? What happened to them? Will the story of Kumar and Ahmad be the same? I hope the talent this time would not be wasted.

For now, enjoy the batting but don’t underestimate the importance of bowling as it will also ease out the pressure from batsmen.