India’s Bowling Woes in T20Is: Are the Bowlers to Blame for Skyrocketing Scores?

Mayank Yadav (PC: @mayankyadav_8)

Eleven. That is the number of times India have conceded more than 200 runs in the shortest format since the T20 World Cup win earlier in the year. Recently, we also witnessed West Indies chase down a target in excess of 250 against India. Moreover, in that India-West Indies T20I series, from the home team’s point of view, only Prince Yadav managed to maintain an economy rate of under 10. Unfortunately for the Indian bowlers, the chastening experience has continued in the ongoing T20Is in New Zealand, with the likes of Prince, Mayank Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel and Co. all conceding runs at more than 10 an over.

So, how should we look at these statistics? Is it down to India not having the required resources beyond Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh for T20Is? Or are there other factors that have made life tougher for bowlers across the cricketing landscape? For starters, we have to understand that we live in an era of extraordinary power-hitting. The likes of Abhishek Sharma, Harry Brook, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Co. play with an adventurous approach.

 

Batting methods have also evolved accordingly. Staying leg-side of the ball, high bat lifts and back-foot triggers are all characteristics of the quintessential modern-day T20 batter. Bowlers, meanwhile, have to find ways to counter the dew factor, well-pressed willows, shorter boundaries and batting paradises. Against that backdrop, it should come as no surprise that teams such as India and England have maintained strike rates of more than 150 or 160 over the last couple of years.

 

Also, it is not as if India lack a good group of pace bowlers in their arsenal. Prince has shown the necessary skills to bowl variations and yorkers. Mayank, meanwhile, is an ultra-attacking fast bowler who can make crucial inroads during the middle overs. If there is a chink in the armour, however, it lies in the spin department. Ideally, in modern-day limited-overs cricket, any think-tank would be looking for a potent wrist spinner or a mystery spinner.

 

From India’s perspective, they still have Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav. The issue is that India seem to have lost some faith in Varun. They also appear to prefer picking utility all-rounders over Kuldeep. In addition, the Indian management may be a little concerned about playing Kuldeep in New Zealand, given the shorter square boundaries.

 

Another worrying sign is that India do not appear to have any promising wrist spinners coming through the ranks. The only one who perhaps shows some potential is Yash Raj Punja, the tall leg-spinner from Karnataka who is associated with Rajasthan Royals. However, he is still raw and not yet ready to be considered for national selection.

 

Ultimately, we need to be sympathetic towards bowlers, as modern-day limited-overs cricket is heavily tilted in favour of the batting fraternity. The Indian think-tank, though, will hope that the next generation of bowlers can find ways to improve their defensive skills and develop the mindset needed to adapt to the unforgiving world of white-ball cricket.

 

 

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