5 left-arm seamers who have troubled India in recent times
India, as a cricketing nation, is known for producing many great batsmen, the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli, etc. The list can just go on and on.
However, in recent times, Indian batters have been found wanting against left-arm seamers. The batsmen have somehow struggled to pick left-armers, owing to various reasons such as poor technique and judgment.
On that note, here's a look at five left-arm seamers who have troubled India in the recent past.
#1 Mohammad Amir
Mohammad Amir was one of the first to expose India's weakness against left-arm seamers and he troubled Indian batters on two occasions. In a game between India and Pakistan in the 2016 Asia Cup, Pakistan were put in to bat by the Indians.
A terrible display of batting meant that they were bowled out for a paltry 83. It seemed like it would be an easy chase for India but Amir had other plans.
He destroyed India's top order, picking up the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, and Suresh Raina to reduce India to 8/3. Virat Kohli eventually bailed India out of the situation but Amir's opening spell was one for the ages.
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Mohammad Amir is on 🔥! #PAKvIND #CT17 https://t.co/D4teC2HMm9
Fast forward to the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, and Amir returned to haunt India. Batting first, Pakistan made 338 to set up an exciting run chase but India succumbed to the brilliance of Amir.
The Pakistani seamer accounted for India's envied top three in the form of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli. India could not recover from that and lost the game by 180 runs.
#2 Trent Boult
New Zealand's Trent Boult, whose bowling is somewhat similar to that of Mohammad Amir, has also frustrated Indian batters in the last few years.
In the semi-final of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup between India and the Kiwis, Boult was right on the money as his immaculate bowling led to the massive wicket of India's captain Virat Kohli.
The delivery swung in sharply and Kohli, in his attempt to glance it, was trapped in front of the stumps. The left-arm seamer's first spell of six overs cost just 15 runs to put India under tremendous pressure. He later returned to pick up the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja, who was looking dangerous at that point.
Even earlier in that year, in an ODI in New Zealand, he put on a spectacular show to help the Black Caps skittle India out for 92. He took five wickets, including those of the top three.
He was at it again during India's Test series against the Kiwis in early 2020, picking up 11 wickets across four innings. His scalps included those of Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane. He was also good in the final of the ICC World Test Chamipionship in 2021, picking up five wickets in the game.
#3 Shaheen Shah Afridi
In a group match of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, Pakistan's young prodigy Shaheen Shah Afridi once again highlighted India's vulnerabilities against left-armers.
He took care of India's top order on his own, picking up the prized scalps of KL Rahul and Rohit in his opening spell. He later returned to pick up Kohli's wicket, which helped Pakistan restrict India to 151, a total which was chased down in emphatic fashion by Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
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Shaheen Afridi's blistering opening spell against India 🔥 https://t.co/uv94PnVd89
Shaheen's performance in the game earned him the Man of the Match award. As good as his bowling was, India's batters were terrible in their approach against Shaheen.
#4 Marco Jansen
India toured South Africa for a three-match Test series in 2021-22 and it was seen as the best chance up until then for India to win a Test series on South African soil. The statement was vindicated by the Indians as they won the opening Test in Centurion by 113 runs. Most pundits expected India to seal the series comfortably.
However, India bottled the opportunity, losing the next two Test matches and the series in the process. One of the key members behind the swift resurgence of the Proteas was the 21-year-old Marco Jansen.
The Proteas left-arm seamer picked up 14 wickets in the last two Tests, and it was clear that his angle was creating plenty of problems for the Indian batters.
His wickets included the likes of Kohli, Rahul, Pujara, and Rishabh Pant. Overall, he took 19 wickets in the series, just behind Kagiso Rabada, who took 20.
#5 Reece Topley
Reece Topley, another of the same breed, gave the Indian batters a headache during the recently-concluded limited-overs leg of India's tour of England. In the third T20I at Trent Bridge, Topley delivered a Man of the Match-winning show, accounting for the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer.
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He only got the better in the ODI series that followed, picking up nine wickets in three games, including a record six-wicket haul in the second encounter. Topley is not the first left-arm seamer to trouble Indian batters and will certainly not be the last if the same technical issues persist.