India's bowlers find the sweet spot
An impromptu Mexican wave broke out at the WACA in the 23rd over of the West Indian innings, and then during the 44th over. India's bowling in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup has been energizing so far, and against the West Indies it turned a new corner.
Dwayne Smith and Chris Gayle were repeatedly beaten outside the off stump in the beginning of their innings. Mohammed Shami, back after a rest, swung the ball both ways with the new white cherry, while Umesh Yadav cranked up the speed and swung the ball as well.
After a boundary in the first over when Smith cut Shami, Yadav's over kept the pressure up. The next three overs were maidens. It wasn't that the WACA pitch was offering sideways movement that the batsmen kept swinging and missing. They did the boring things - didn't pitch it right up and didn't give them width. The result was satisfying: the drives hit the splice of the bat, it wasn't too short to cut and the wickets came after sticking to their plans.
The innings was going nowhere when Smith was dismissed and Gayle needed boundaries to feel better. But India have been in Australia for three months now, and as MS Dhoni had said earlier, they seem to have finally got the hang of bowling on these pitches. Gayle didn't find his release, and was sucked in to the short-ball trap.
"We wanted to use the new ball, but at the same time we didn't want to try too many different things because they're batting in a slightly different way, especially if you see Chris [Gayle], he looks to give room. You have that tendency at times [to] bowl slightly up, 'maybe I'll get a wicket'," Dhoni said after the game. "But what they did nicely was they kept hitting the back of a length area, and they made it slightly uncomfortable for the batsmen. They used the bounce or the variable bounce that was available for them in the first ten really well, and Chris went for the big shots, and ultimately one of them didn't pay off."
In the press conference prior to the game against the West Indies, R Ashwin had spoken about how difficult it has become for the fielding side to contain batsmen towards the later stages of a 50-over contest. Ashwin reckoned bowling one side of the wicket is one way, and as the Indian bowlers found out after applying that theory, it worked in their favour. But Dhoni felt it was in not trying to be too extravagant that they have found success.
"I think what the fast bowlers have done really well is now they understand the importance of hitting that length and not trying too many different things, and that's really paying off," he said. "It is something that you have to taste as a fast bowler, as a fast bowling unit, to start believing in that. When you start coming outside the subcontinent on places where the Kookaburra ball is used and if it stops swinging up for a while, you have to stick to the right length, and I felt that they learnt that and they have started believing in that as a unit, and that's why we see them not trying too many different things, and to keep hitting the same areas, and that's something that's really paying off."
For far too long, India's bowlers have frittered away good starts on helpful pitches by overdoing things that have got them a wicket. Against West Indies, though, Shami and Umesh Yadav were relentless, followed by Ashwin who tied up one end and Mohit Sharma, who continued hitting the length Yadav and Shami had exploited earlier. It his bowling attack's combined success that has satisfied Dhoni more than anything else.
"We are backing one good over followed by another good over," he said, presumably referring to the start India's bowlers had got today. "That actually increases the pressure, and finally you get a wicket out of it. In between those good overs, if you give too many runs, what really happens is more often than not the momentum shifts and you don't get too many wickets at that point of time.
"So I feel the contribution of all the bowlers is superb. Umesh is bowling well, he is bowling quick. Shami has taken the extra responsibility of bowling with the new ball, and it gives Mohit a bit more time in the middle order with a bit more feel, and he has been very consistent. Overall the fast bowling department, the three of them, they bowled really well as a unit."
After playing their first four games in Australia, India now hop across to New Zealand where they will play their last two games against Zimbabwe and Ireland, but Dhoni said the conditions there will not influence a change in their bowling combination.
"The problem is the side looks better when we play with two spinners," he said. "Even though Jadeja is not performing really well as a batsman, he still gives you that comfort at six or seven and it looks like a slightly better side. We also have to keep in mind the over rate because a lot of people dig into the stats. Someone told me whenever we have played with four fast bowlers, 90 percent of the time we lose and 100 percent of the time the captain gets banned. It becomes a difficult one, but at the same time as I said, hopefully the spinners, they would have learned from the last outing in New Zealand.
"Yes, they may not get a lot of turn over there, but they can still play with the pace and they can vary their length to a lot of extent. Both the spinners are bowling well and hopefully they'll carry the form forward into the next couple of games. Yes, the short boundaries will be a bit of a concern, but overall it will be good exposure for them, the reason being we are nicely positioned in the table right now, but we would still like to give our best," Dhoni said.
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