AHMEDABAD: Mohammed Siraj was candid on Saturday night. Inadvertently, he also described life as an elite-level cricketer. “When you go to an office, you also have an off day sometimes,” he said. “It cannot always be the same performance every time.
The graph always comes down. So, I think to myself that I am not a bad bowler because of one match. I always keep my confidence high that my bowling is good and I should be the number one bowler. I have backed myself to do that. I have got the result today,” he added.
The query here was about him not being in rhythm in New Delhi and in the first spell in Ahmedabad. The point to note is that India have taken 28 wickets in three games so far in the World Cup. In fact, they have dismissed their opponents 15 times in 24 games in 2023. Such has been the impact created by the bowling unit that Siraj (33) and Kuldeep Yadav (38) are among the top three wicket-takers in ODIs this year. Hardik Pandya (21), Ravindra Jadeja (20) and Mohammed Shami (19) aren’t far behind.
The aforementioned names in itself forms a bowling unit that would make many teams jealous. That's before you throw in one of the best at the moment — Jasprit Bumrah (16 in 8 innings this year) — along with R Ashwin (5 in 3 innings) and Shardul Thakur (20 in 14 games). Suffice to say that the hosts have the strongest bowling attack for subcontinental conditions.
Bumrah and Siraj are odds on to make a dent in the first ten overs. If they don’t, Pandya or Kuldeep will. And when things are going against India, Thakur often seems to be the one to break partnerships. There aren’t many spinners in the world who could provide the control that Jadeja and Ashwin would in Indian conditions. Their economy in the middle overs (10-40) since 2022 says it all — Siraj (4.91), Kuldeep (4.68), Bumrah (4.42) and Jadeja (4.64).
The thing is, they understand how good they are as a unit as well. They know what they are doing even when it might look like they are not on top. Take the Pakistan clash. Siraj and Rohit Sharma set up Abdullah Shafique‘s dismissal by pushing him on the back foot before bowling a fuller one. Later, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were keeping the scorecard moving. Even then, Kuldeep and Jadeja provided immaculate control with their lines and lengths before pressure eventually caught up to the Pakistan duo.
“I thought they would try to sweep as they are known to play that shot. But they didn't take a chance but that extra over that I bowled after discussing with the skipper, both wickets came in that over,” Kuldeep said about the dismissals of Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed.
It is not just about Siraj, Kuldeep or Bumrah. They come in and hunt as a pack. On Saturday, barring Thakur, they shared the wickets equally among them. “If you don't get a wicket, you're building pressure and putting in a dot ball. When Jassi (Bumrah) bowls the ball - you can see what line is better on the wicket. When you're on the third man and the final leg, you get to see the line and get some information from the keeper that this line is better on the wicket. It becomes easier to execute,” said Siraj after the match.
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Even as they continue to thrive with different options covered for different conditions, it is not unfair to say that they are playing it safe with Thakur in the playing XI. The medium-pacer bowled six overs in New Delhi and two in Ahmedabad, averaging 43 with an economy of 5.37. Former Indian cricketer and Gujarat Titans assistant coach Aashish Kapoor feels that India should have either Ashwin or Shami in the XI in place of Thakur. “You have most of your bases covered as long as the bowlers are bowling okay. If two bowlers have a bad day, things could go south,” he says.
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“You can’t go with two medium-pacers and on a pitch like Saturday, Shami could have been more effective and if the pitch was slow and if you didn’t want Shami, maybe Ashwin should have played. Your bases are covered, but you need to make the most of it. On Saturday, Thakur bowled two overs in the first 20 and didn’t bowl after. He was the captain’s sixth option, coming in as the fourth change. If you are looking at him as a sixth bowler batting at No. 8, what is he doing in the XI? I have nothing against that boy (Thakur)… these days he gets wickets only when someone goes after him,” said Kapoor.
India still have six league games to go. The bowlers could be rested and rotated against different opponents. But what will be interesting to see is whether they still stick with Thakur or bring back one of Shami/Ashwin come the business end.
