Mohammed Siraj strode up to Kushal Bhurtel midway through the sixth over of Nepal’s innings to give him a hostile look after bowling a 147kph bouncer that Bhurtel missed. Siraj’s hostile demeanor may have derived from his aggravation over a sluggish start after Rohit Sharma elected to use his bowlers after winning the toss in another match at Pallekele that was plagued by persistent rain. Even though he had played in whites as recently as July, this was India’s current best ODI bowler’s first appearance in the 50-over format since March against Australia, and it showed.
In the second half of August, prior to departing for the Asia Cup, India had the uncommon opportunity to fine-tune during a six-day program at the quaint KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur, where roles and skills were discussed and game-situations were simulated.
“With the white-ball team, this is the first time we’ve had a camp where everyone has been able to come together,” Last month, two different-looking white-ball squads played on either side of the North Atlantic Ocean (in the West Indies and in Ireland) within the span of five days, as summarized by Rahul Dravid at the conclusion of the camp.
“We got a lot of very specific match simulation stuff done over the last few days. As a coach, it gives some very good time to work on some specifics with the players, some very good time to have conversations with players – about roles and skills,” Dravid added.
In the lead-up to a home World Cup, which begins in precisely one month, the dominant narrative for the 2011 champions has centered on finding the perfect batting combinations. India’s middle-order strategies were thrown into disarray when KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant, the primary contenders for the No.4 and No.5 positions, were all forced to undergo surgery due to injuries. They have worked assiduously to bring back two of the three players, with one recovering more slowly than the other, while Ishan Kishan has shown against Pakistan that he is a solid backup option should Rahul not regain full match fitness in time.
Due to the unpredictability of the middle-order, India’s course-correction has consisted of adding some batting cushion until the no.8 position – the cause for Yuzvendra Chahal’s exclusion from the Asia Cup and, most likely, the World Cup. Alongside Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur has been entrusted with some bowling responsibilities.
On Monday, Thakur was limited to four overs during which he customarily broke through against the run of play, but was erratic and culpable of not bowling to his field. Thakur began his bowling career alongside Pandya, whose bowling reputation is accompanied by a large asterisk. Since his career-altering back injury, which occurred in the 2018 Asia Cup, team management have had to carefully balance managing and increasing his bowling workload. A little over a month ago, Pandya assessed his status as a format bowler as follows: “My physique is alright. I must bowl more overs and increase my burden in preparation for the World Cup. I am currently a tortoise, not the rabbit. “I’m hoping that everything goes well as the World Cup begins.”
Pandya took a step in that direction against Nepal by delivering eight overs, albeit with a slight decrease in intensity at the end. This was progress considering it was only the third occasion in 24 completed ODIs since bowling all 10 overs in the World Cup semifinal that he bowled at least eight overs. Jasprit Bumrah’s mission to rack up as many overs as possible as India’s leading bowler has been delayed due to personal circumstances. The fast bowler made his highly-anticipated return to action in T20Is in Ireland last month, but disclosed that he is preparing for the World Cup by bowling 10-over periods. However, he was unable to attend the Nepal match. India will rely on their premier wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav to be decisive and penetrative in the middle overs, and not just economical like he was on Monday (0 for 34).
The relative ease with which Nepal scored 230 runs just days after collapsing for 104 against a well-oiled Pakistan attack was further evidence that India’s bowling unit is currently unprepared. The 10-wicket victory against Nepal in a rain-affected game means that they have a minimum of three Asia Cup matches – four if they reach the final – and three more One-Day Internationals against Australia in September to find bowling cohesion before their first World Cup match on October 8.
