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India’s pace bowlers are blossoming under the leadership of Virat Kohli. The latter has not been one to skimp on words underscoring the importance of the faster bowlers in Test cricket, and his backing and support have lent truckloads of confidence to India’s pacers, in contrast to the years India was captained by MS Dhoni. Often, it seemed that the wicket-keeper-skipper would take cover in his pace bowlers’ poor performances to defend the team’s dry spells and, over time, it came to be no secret that Dhoni preferred his slower bowlers to run the bowling unit.
However, with the ascension of Kohli to the team’s captaincy, a sweeping change has come over the way Test cricket is played.
Understanding that for India to become a successful Test nation the pacers had to be up for the task overseas, the Delhiite never failed to put an arm around his seamers and defend them publicly, if a bad day should greet them.
“ We don’t play only spinners, we play fast bowlers as well. We understand their contribution is also important...”
This would have sounded like music to the ears of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami, after Dhoni’s lackluster comments over the years.
For instance, “ Pacers need to start using their brains more..., ” the former skipper had said rather uncharitably after a loss against New Zealand in 2014. Needless to say, this belief and faith that has been shown by Kohli has translated into an inspired showing; with the Indian pace bowling unit matching their English counterparts in the recently concluded tour to England.
What the numbers say
It was one of the most balanced and threatening Indian pace attacks that set foot in England during the summer. Ishant with his round-the-wicket bowling was always going to be a handful and, in Shami, India had a bowler who could swing both the new and old balls with pace. But the biggest X-factor was Jasprit Bumrah, who, with his awkward slinging action consistently troubled the home team. Hardik Pandya and Umesh Yadav picked up 13 wickets between them, and the most pleasing aspect was that the performances emerged in the absence of India’s best swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who missed the tour due to an injury.
In South Africa too, the pacers impressed, taking all 20 wickets in the third Test at Johannesburg. In fact, the that the pace battery has enjoyed a prolonged period of good form and fortune — Ishant’s five wickets at Colombo in 2015 or Bhuvi’s five-wicket haul against New Zealand in Kolkata — indicates the greater role that the fast bowlers have been empowered with over the past few years. Under Kohli’s captaincy, eight quicks have taken 301 wickets at an average of 30.10, which is in stark contrast to the average of 36.65 that the quicks notched up when Dhoni was at the helm.
How pacers have fared under India’s last two captains
Performance metric | Under Kohli | Under Dhoni |
Average no. of overs per match | 71 | 82 |
Wickets | 301 | 466 |
Bowling Average | 30.10 | 36.65 |
The above stats show how the quicks have been more effective under Kohli, bowling almost 11 overs fewer each match and averaging a decent 30.10. Not only is their workload considerably lesser, they have a slighter better strike-rate as well — 57.8, as compared to the strike-rate of 64 when Dhoni was the captain. Hence, it can be said that the matches won by the new-ball bowlers have risen considerably in the last four years.
However, it is not that the pacers have faced success only when the ball has been swinging or in bouncy conditions. Averaging an impressive 31.23 at home under Kohli, the faster bowlers have risen to the occasion even in the most adverse situations that are to be found at home.
How Indian pacers have fared under Kohli, Dhoni by venue
Average by playing venue | Under Kohli | Under Dhoni |
In India | 31.23 | 32.98 |
In Sri Lanka | 28.53 | 61.84 |
In England | 28.60 | 45.50 |
In South Africa | 22.48 | 44.95 |
In Australia | 64.13 | 40.76 |
In West Indies | 24.96 | 21.78 |
The above table will reveal the consistent performances of the quicks across varied conditions under the leadership of young Kohli, which are in stark contrast to the bloated numbers when the Ranchi cricketer was at the helm. Though the first column sees pacers average almost 64 in Australia, Kohli’s India has played just two games Down Under in what was his first series as captain. His biggest test will be when India tour Australia later this year, but seeing the current trend of performances, even on spin-friendly tracks in Sri Lanka, one should not be surprised if the numbers remain as impressive.
While the average in India is praiseworthy as it is, it could have been even better for the pacers under Kohli if a few efforts had yielded adequate rewards. Umesh at Rajkot against England constantly saw catches being dropped by the slip fielders, while a few spells by Ishant have been jaw-dropping without much to show for it. The prolonged absence of players like Shami and Bhuvi due to injury too has impacted the average, which by no means is unsatisfactory.
Reasons for the rapid success rates
A major reason for the success rates across continents under the Kohli era is that the management has been able to identify a core group of fast bowlers and stuck with them despite the lows and falls. Kohli has played 8 fast bowlers since his captaincy debut; Shami, Ishant, Umesh, Bhuvi, Hardik and recently Bumrah were all on the plane to England (though Bhuvi was later injured). Only two pacers, Varun Aaron and Stuart Binny who have played under him are not in the national fray for selection. They last played for India in 2015, and since then the other six bowlers have formed the core group leading the attack.
As many as 15 individuals played for India in six years under Dhoni, who laid a lot of confidence on medium pacers such as S Sreesanth and Praveen Kumar whilst sidelining genuine pace bowlers Umesh or Aaron. His reluctance to play Irfan Pathan in the 2016 IPL and instead opting for medium-pacer Rajat Bhatia displayed his preferences, which came with its own set of brickbats. Setting defensive fields and pulling away his quicks when they were in the middle of a possibly lethal spell did not help either, and he always tended to trust his spinners a tad bit more.
However, the slower bowlers averaged 34.07 under Dhoni, which is still higher than the average of 24.75 under Kohli.
How spinners have fared under India’s last two captains
Bowling Average | Under Kohli | Under Dhoni |
In the Sub-continent | 22.50 | 31.26 |
Outside Asia | 34.92 | 45.02 |
Outside the subcontinent, Dhoni asked his spinners to bowl almost 46% of the overs without them tasting much success. On the other hand, Kohli has asked his tweakers to bowl 709 overs of the 1,411 that have been bowled abroad (almost 50%), but the rate of success is that much higher. The trick then, was to understand which situation demanded what kind of a bowler, and not just going in with a one-dimensional attack, which Dhoni was often guilty of fielding.
With the current skipper in favour of a 5-bowler strategy, unlike the 4 bowlers that Dhoni preferred, the pacers get adequate rest during a Test, which helps them return to their bowling mark fresh and rejuvenated. Also, with the stringent Yo-Yo test in place, the pacers are required to be at top fitness level at all times, which has seriously improved their performances for the national team. With adequate backing, the current crop of speedsters have been able to create themselves a niche, and possess an overall robustness wherein even if an integral member is out injured, the remaining pacers have the skills to take 20 wickets.
*Stats updated till after the first Test against West Indies. Author’s views are personal.
