"The flight that Surya was giving, I was afraid for the spider cam" - Paras Mhambrey on Team India part-time options' bowling display
Team India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey assessed the performance of the part-time options, who had a go with the ball in the comfortable win over the Netherlands at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Sunday.
With Hardik Pandya ruled out of the tournament, Team India have included only five bowling options in their playing XI. Given that the Men in Blue were in a comfortable position after posting 410 runs while batting first, the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Suryakumar Yadav had an opportunity to showcase their skills with the ball.
Kohli had bowled earlier in the tournament itself, after completing the injured Hardik's over in the clash against Bangladesh. This time around, he bowled a short spell of three overs, conceding 13 runs and claiming the wicket of opposition skipper Scott Edwards.
Stating that the team management believes Virat Kohli can bowl in all three stages of an innings, Paras Mhambrey said in a video released by the BCCI:
"Virat's wicket was lovely, I could see him looking towards the keeper, hinting him about the change in the line. We are honestly preparing for all three stages of the innings, I had a chat with Rohit over how can we use Virat. Obviously, with the new ball, he gets it to swing."
"The challenge with Virat was the middle phase, which he did in this match. We want to push him further. He does have those in-dipping sharp yorkers to the right handers," Mhambrey continued.
Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with a couple of overs, conceding 11 and 17 runs, respectively. Claiming that the pair are still a work in progress, Mhambrey said:
"Shubman GIll and Suryakumar Yadav are a work in progress. I thought at a certain stage, with the flight that Surya was giving, I was afraid for the spider cam. Luckily, he did not go any higher. But I think Shubman is getting there, but definitely a work in progress with both these guys."
Suryakumar has 24 first-class wickets to his name and 12 wickets in white-ball domestic cricket.
"It's been 2 years since I've been after Rohit about this" - Paras Mhambrey on grooming part-time options
Team India have been rigorously using five bowling options in the tournament so far since Hardik Pandya's injury. The red-hot form of the current bowling attack makes the need for a sixth bowling option redundant, but it would still be a very handy option to have should things not go as planned.
Stating that he has been pestering Rohit Sharma about developing additional bowling options, Mhambrey said:
"I'll tell you honestly, it's been two years since I've been after Rohit about this, to get Surya bowling in the match and finally even the captain rolled his arm over. I could see the glimpse of him, Virat, Shubman, all of them bowling in the nets, finally happy to see that in a match."
Rohit, who has an IPL hat-trick to his name, seemingly left the art of off-spin ever since an injury to his finger. However, he also had a go with the ball in the clash against the Netherlands and claimed the final wicket to end the contest.