There has been a lot of debate about India’s death bowling in the first one-day international in Kanpur, and, I must admit, I am a bit disappointed with all the criticism aimed at Indian bowlers. They did concede over 100 runs in the last 10 overs but I would like to point out that having come so close to the target, the batsmen should have finished the game in India’s favour.
Coming back to the burning topic, India’s problem with death bowling isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s been there for the last 10 years from the time I was the bowling coach of the team. I remember, more often than not, we would concede anything around 80-90 runs in the last 10 overs. And as a coach, I always encouraged the bowlers to back their stren-gths while bowling in the death.
There is no point in just sending down either Yorkers or slower balls, if you are not skilful enough to execute them to perfection.
For a pacemen bowling towards the backend of the innings, it’s imperative to understand his strengths. He has to be sure which skillset suits his action better – whether he is comfortable bowling slower ones or he is more effective with yorkers. Whichever he chooses to do, he has to work on it. It’s slightly easier to bowl Yorkers when the ball is swinging reverse or one has to have pace.
I am of the opinion that when you are bowling in Indian conditions, it’s crucial to master the slower ball – the ball grips off the surface , the length needs to be up to the batsman and the lack of pace makes it difficult for the batsman to play his shots.
That said, I think it’s paramount in a team game not to blame each other. If the bowlers concede 270-280 runs, the batsmen should take the responsibility to chase those runs. Accordingly, the bowlers should put their hand up and defend if the batsmen manage 220-230 runs batting first.
Just as bowlers can’t expect batsmen to give them 300 runs to defend all the time, the batsmen should be prepared to chase down big totals.
As for today’s game, I would expect the team winning the toss to bowl first though conditions are going to be hot in the afternoon.
