Ahead of the World Cup, the inexperienced Indian seamers drew a lot of criticism for not being able to find the right length on Australian pitches. Mohinder Amarnath, whose fine, all-round showing in the 1983 World Cup final helped India lift the title for the first time, advised the seamers to be brave down under.
Speaking to The Hindu ahead of India’s opening match against Pakistan, Amarnath said the Indian pacers, who have already spent several weeks in Australia, were buckling under pressure. “It is the length that is more important (in Australia). You have to be aggressive and bold. If you are hit, you are hit. A good shot is a good shot. If you are trying to contain them all the time, that will not help,” said Amarnath.
“What I have seen is that it is the pressure (that is getting the better of the bowlers). It is the inconsistent line of the pace bowlers — you give a lot of time to the batsman to hit, and they are not going to miss the opportunity. You have to bowl very straight.
“India’s opponents bowl straight. They bowl a length which will trouble them as they know Indians do not like to pull, cut or hook. If India can work out a strategy — what length they will be bowling — things will start getting better.”
Swinging the ballAmarnath said the Indian seamers must swing the ball to be effective. “It is a new team and an inexperienced bowling line-up. The thing that is missing clearly is that they are not getting much swing. I am amazed!
“In Australia — with two new balls and day-and-night games — they should be able to do that. Swing bowling is as lethal as genuine pace. People have done it in the past — Kapil did it wonderfully; so did (Roger) Binny, Madan Lal, (Manoj) Prabhakar, and (Javagal) Srinath.”
The legendary all-rounder pointed out that the Indian batting relied heavily on some top-order batsmen. “Batting is dependent on a few guys, and that is a worry. You cannot win a tournament with just two or three batsmen. Someone in the top-order has to fire in each and every game. Their technique, balance and style are not really helping them.”
Asked to compare the 1983 World Cup-winning side with the current one, Amarnath said the former was packed with genuine all-rounders. “Comparison is difficult because cricket has changed. The current team is missing quality all-rounders. When the chips are down, you want your lower middle-order to come good, which has not been the case with this team.” said Amarnath.
