What's gone wrong with India's bowling in BGT 2024-25?
Team India's bowling unit has looked like a raggedy group of players inside the first half of the Border-Gavaskar series itself. With matches remaining in Melbourne and Sydney, where conditions are more batting-friendly, it comes across as an ominous sign.
The visitors began the tour with one of their most memorable bowling displays Down Under, but since then it has been a downward spiral, that could sink even further if there is no turnaround soon.
The bowlers have run in, run in hard at times, but to no avail. Despite beating the edge, handing a few body blows, and getting the ball to move, it just has not been a cohesive enough effort to completely topple a batting unit as imperious as Australia.
On that note, let us take a look at the factors that are affecting Team India's bowling at the minute, and the steep decline from Perth, not so long ago.
#1 Over-reliance on Bumrah
It is a bad sign for a bowling attack, when you have to calculate when the spearhead can be reintroduced in hope of a breakthrough. It is also a bad sign to calculate the maximum number of overs you can get out of one bowler without him being injured.
Such has been the state of the Indian bowling attack that the expectations are next to nil when Jasprit Bumrah is not in the mix. The right-arm pacer has accounted for the majority of the wickets in the series so far purely on the basis of his brilliance, which the rest of the bowlers have failed to even come close to replicating.
The sheer gap between Bumrah and the rest, in a descending order that resembles a distinct gradient, means that India have not been able to apply pressure from both ends for a prolonged period of time. As a result, the majority of the Australian batters have not had much trouble settling down and building partnerships.
The fragile top order have succumbed at times against the new ball, but that's about it as far as the Indian bowling charge is concerned. The team looks completely deflated when the secondary bowlers bowl with the old ball, and when the conditions have eased up. Defensive fields and questionable bowling selection and rotation do not help India's case either.
#2 Inaccuracy and failing to determine the right length
India arguably lost control of the series when they allowed Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan McSweeney to survive under the lights with the pink ball. Despite the ball moving around, and a pitch sporting good bounce, the duo were relatively unscathed. Australia have not turned back since this session of play.
While credit has to be given to the batters, the chief culprits in this case from India's perspective were the bowlers. The visitors did not make the batters play enough, with the line not targeting the stumps. Even the length was a bit off as India failed to account for the extra bounce in the surface, as well as the pink ball's assistance.
Although the attention is never on the spinners in Australia, the trio of Indian tweakers have not done enough in terms of keeping things tight and bowling long enough for the pacers to get some well-earned rest. Australia have been able to keep Nathan Lyon aside because of the prowess of their front three, where disparity is not a concern.
Australia have cashed in on the poor lengths, and the lulls in the phases where Bumrah is off the attack, a luxury that Indian batters have not had in the series so much.
#3 Banking on miracles over setups
Trouble spelled early for Team India in the third Test in Brisbane when there was no swing and minimal movement on offer. It became apparent that the bowlers could not rely on the pitch to work wonders like it had in Perth.
Bowling in tight areas and putting pressure on the batters was the way to go, but India did not do enough of that. Both Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep ran in hard and beat the bat, and had close calls, but at the same time were inconsistent, and unable to apply sustained pressure. In such conditions, they are ideal third seamers, but Bumrah still needs a reliable deputy, who can be accurate and not overly reliant on the conditions.
There was still no concrete plan against Travis Head, and it showed. A phase with bouncers, trying different angles and bowlers, all without any clarity. Once again, the hope was for the wicket to be gifted, rather than earned.