Need for penetrative bowling

Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma (R), who in the past have clocked velocities well in excess of 140 kmph, have shed speed due to changes in their actions.

Over the last few years, whenever India has needed lifting — and it has fairly often, given its mediocre record in the first Test of series overseas — its bowlers have responded magnificently.

After the innings-and-25-run defeat in the first Test, this is where India finds itself again: in desperate need of controlled, penetrative bowling. Neither facet — neither control nor penetration — was in evidence in Centurion.

Where the batsmen were allowed the opportunity to redeem themselves in the second innings, the bowlers came away from the game with little more than sore bodies and frayed minds. Six-hundred-and-twenty for four wickets declared has that effect.

South African captain Graeme Smith was nearly tempted into indiscretion when asked if he saw the Indian bowling attack taking 20 wickets, “I'd love to say no,” he said, in a pained drawl. “But no one wants to touch the money (jinx a good thing).”

M.S. Dhoni admitted that the performance of his bowlers concerned him. “It was difficult because there was not much help from the wicket when we bowled. Our bowlers are not express quick. They don't generally bowl 140 (kmph) plus. They have to be very precise with their line and length. We tried to work around their bowling aspects, we tried containing, but it was not successful for a period of time.”

Interesting

Two things Dhoni said are of particular interest. Having to work around a bowler's “aspects” doesn't sound like something a No.1 side will need to do; sure, there are days when the best of bowlers go for runs without looking threatening, but the West Indies, with its four fast men, and Australia, with Warne and McGrath, seldom worked around anything. Certainly, India's attack at Centurion didn't befit the world's best team.

The other thing relates to the pace of India's bowlers — both Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma have, in the past, clocked velocities well in excess of 140 kmph, consistently through a spell. Yet, in a phenomenon peculiar to Indian seamers, they've shed speed.

Both have battled with their actions. Sreesanth, as Allan Donald pointed out, has had issues with his non-bowling arm doing very little work in delivery, while Ishant has had trouble with his alignment because of a shortening of run-up his body is yet to completely reconcile with.

Making corrections while constantly playing is tricky because muscle memory being what it is falls back on what it has known when under stress. In this regard, Eric Simons, the bowling coach, will have to find a way of balancing the short-term and long-term goals of the bowling unit.

Conditioning

Just as important is conditioning. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have several physical gifts, but they've worked to attain a level of conditioning that allows them to sustain pace through a day.

In terms of how they look to get wickets, Sreesanth and Ishant aren't different from Steyn and Morkel. But they are 10 to 15 kmph slower than the South African pair, which makes such a difference. The third seamer, Jaidev Unadkat, didn't seem ready for this level.

Batsmen who've played him in the ‘nets' say he can swing the ball both ways; he didn't in the first Test, and whether it was nerves, not bowling with the new ball or some other reason must be determined. His bowling with a diagnostic ball after the match ended suggested the exercise is underway.

Support

Unadkat will need guidance and support, which the Indian system hasn't always extended to its bowlers. How else to explain R.P. Singh, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, who've won Tests for the country abroad, languishing?

Or Abhimanyu Mithun not getting a look-in after his brave efforts in Sri Lanka? India can ill-afford to scatter its assets.

Hopefully, Ishant, who had encouraging moments in the first Test, and Sreesanth, who looked better when he bowled the ball instead of ‘putting it there', will gain from the presence of Zaheer Khan in the second Test to be played here from Sunday.

“It's not that Zaheer always gets wickets,” said Dhoni. “But what is good with him is, because of his experience, he comes up with new plans and changes his plans during the course of the game. We will need to see if we can make something happen on the field.”

India was in a similar situation after Nagpur earlier this year; Zaheer, Ishant, and Harbhajan Singh had lacked penetration.

And it was Zaheer who made things happen in Kolkata, harrying Hashim Amla with short-pitched bowling in the afternoon, dismissing him and swinging the momentum. An encore will do nicely for India.