A cluster of wickets, a glimmer of hope, and just as you dream about that rare elixir these days in Indian cricket — an overseas Test win — it is time for a heart-break.
Welcome to the world of massive partnerships that hurt Indian bowlers, and this bitter trend has hurt M.S. Dhoni’s men thrice over the last eight months.
When England’s Joe Root and James Anderson added 198 for the last wicket at Trent Bridge, it may have seemed like the immediate past all over again.
Cast your mind back to the Wanderers in Johannesburg last December. Chasing a seemingly improbable 458, South Africa slumps to 197 for four with the great Jacques Kallis back in the hut.
What follows next is the stuff of South African dreams and Indian nightmares. A.B. de Villiers and Faf du Plessis slam centuries and share a 205-run fifth-wicket partnership and take the Proteas to the cusp of a fantastic victory before a thrilling draw ensues.
India’s sense of shock continued. Cut to New Zealand in February and at Wellington’s Basin Reserve, the host, after suffering a 246-run first-innings deficit, hobbles at 94 for five in the second.
The story isn’t over and to India’s despair, Brendon McCullum (302) and B.J. Watling (124) script a 352-run sixth-wicket partnership! Jimmy Neesham scores a hundred too and rubs salt into the wounds. The inability to build on its dominance has constantly overwhelmed India.
Trent Bridge was the latest example, and the questions around the Indian attack have multiplied.
The bowling unit has seen considerable churn over the last year. Zaheer Khan was part of the mix in South Africa and New Zealand until an injury ruled him out of this England tour.
In the interim, Dhoni has preferred Ravindra Jadeja as his lone spinner over R. Ashwin, and Stuart Binny whipped up debate while stepping in as the fourth seamer in the first Test.
The malaise of pacers dropping their speed has also cropped up, and Rahul Dravid on Sky Sports spoke about how Mohammed Shami has lost a bit of his sharpness.
Former India seamer Venkatesh Prasad, who was also the team’s bowling coach in the past, defended the present crop while lending his insights.
“Our bowlers are getting top-order wickets. You need to have ability for that. What I see is that our bowlers are losing steam towards the end; that drop in intensity is hurting the team,” Prasad said.
The former bowling coach called for a clear prescription of roles.
“You have to identify who your strike bowlers and stock bowlers are. The lead bowlers like Ishant Sharma, should be used in short bursts. People like Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Binny should bowl more overs.
“You should get a minimum of 30 overs or more from them together in a day and the others can be rotated.
“Now because the others are bowling longer spells, they get tired when they bowl towards the close of the innings. The key is to stay fresh and attack every time the strike bowlers bowl,” Prasad said.
With Zaheer anointing Ishant as the leader of the pack, Prasad too wasn’t far off the mark.
“Ishant has played long and played more than 50 Tests, and naturally he has to be qualified to lead the attack. If you play international cricket for two years, you will have ability and Ishant should deliver,” Prasad said, before adding a sobering truth. “It is Test cricket boss and wickets aren’t easy to get.”
At Lord’s, another searing examination awaits India’s bowling resources. Hopefully, the rivals will go easy on their partnerships!
