Who says pace cannot be a winning force in India? When Australia conquered the Final Frontier in 2004, its pace attack played a significant role in the heist.
But can Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood repeat what Glenn McGrath & Co. did, as Australia takes on an in-form India in the four-Test series beginning next week?
Let’s look at the numbers from 2004. McGrath had 14 scalps at 25.42, Jason Gillespie, 20 wickets at 16.15, and Michael Kasprowicz, nine at 28.33. Of the 70 Indian wickets that fell, the pacemen accounted for 43.
Despite iconic leg-spinner Shane Warne’s 14 victims at 28.33, it was the Aussie pace trio that swung the series.
The Hindu spoke to the legendary McGrath to find out what’s needed to succeed on Indian pitches.
“You have to adapt,” said McGrath, who took 33 wickets in eight Tests in India at an impressive 21.30. “In India, the new ball carries through okay and you look to take the edges, get early wickets, have more men in the slips.
Graphics: Kannan Sundar
Softer, harder
“Once the ball gets softer, your work gets harder. You have to bowl tight, have fewer men at slips, have a mid-wicket and short cover, work on the ball, get reverse swing... once the ball reverses, you can attack again.”
What really is the right length to bowl on the Indian wickets that generally lack the bounce of the Australian surfaces?
“The right area with the new ball is hitting the wicket, top of off-stump. We call it the good length and it is generally around seven to eight metres from the batsman. But, this can vary from wicket to wicket.”
Graphics: Kannan Sundar
Out of his comfort zone
The right length also depends on the batsman, said McGrath. “You want to get him forward if he is a back-foot player and force him back if he is a front-foot player. And [it depends] what his height is,” he said.
When the ball gets older, the right areas differ. McGrath said, “If it’s reverse swinging, you bowl a fuller length, attack the stumps, bringing it in from off. In Australia, you are looking for a majority of dismissals, even with the older ball, caught by the ‘keeper or the slips because of the bounce. In India, you are looking
at lbw or bowled as not many edges carry. You need to attack the stumps more.”
Dwelling on his bowling here in 2004, McGrath said, “I bowled a little fuller, looking to get the nicks. In India, because the bounce is not quite there, the ball sometimes sits up to be hit after the first few overs. So you want the batsmen to come on the front foot more because if they go back and it sits up, even a tailender can hit you.”
Change of pace was crucial, and when the cracks open up, cutters become a potent option, said McGrath. “If you bowl a little slower and fuller in India, the batsmen find it a little harder to time the ball. And if you have a ring field, they have to hit through it and there's a chance they can miscue drives.”
Accuracy and pressure
The great Aussie stressed on accuracy, bowling in partnerships and creating pressure by choking the runs.
He said, “If you move the ball away from the batsmen or bring it in just a shade, not more than half the width of the bat, you could be successful. Your line should be the off-stump or the fourth stump. You got to have the ability to lock the delivery you want to bowl in your mind and bowl exactly the same delivery.”
