India vs West Indies: Ravi Bishnoi provides bright spark as Men in Blue structure bowling plans

Typically the Men in Blue are beset with batting issues , especially pertaining to their middle order. It is certainly the case in ODI cricket, as seen from the six games played in 2022 thus far. Irrespective of the opposing results against South Africa and West Indies, India were plagued with middling issues in their batting line-up, pun unintended. And so, when Virat Kohli walked back with the scorecard reading 95-3, you would have probably thought ‘Here we go again’. But Wednesday was a day of change for Indian cricket. Maybe it was down to the dewy outfield, or the slower nature of the Eden Gardens’ pitch or just the combined chutzpah of Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer, India’s middle order stuck it out for once and crossed the finish line without much bother. [caption id=“attachment_10381701” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Ravi Bishnoi took 2/17 on his India debut against West Indies in the T20I in Kolkata. AP[/caption] Maybe, it was also down to practice. When SKY and Iyer came together, India still needed 44 runs off 33 deliveries. How many times have they been in such a situation whilst playing in the Indian Premier League? In helpful conditions, albeit with an iota of international pressure, it was a repetitive scenario for the duo and that aspect helped them tide over the equation. 1-0 to India with seven balls to spare ! Mindset is also important in such a situation. Pre-match, skipper Rohit Sharma clearly outlined that India’s batting requirements would be very different from what certain batsmen are used to in the IPL setting. It would mean Ishan Kishan opening, or SKY playing the middle order anchor at No 5, or further, Iyer coming out to finish the game. Pre-defined roles provide clarity of thought, and for once, we can stop talking about India’s batting issues. For, this is about Ravi Bishnoi’s brilliant debut, within the microcosm of India’s search for a better balance in their T20 bowling attack. Watching Bishnoi bowl in the backdrop of the IPL auctions, the first thought that comes to mind is how could Punjab Kings let him go? Sure, player retention is a two-way street but the uncapped player restriction might have hampered negotiations. Bishnoi definitely would have fetched a higher bid price in the auctions than INR 4 crores paid by Lucknow Super Giants . The underlying point herein being that Bishnoi is a star-in-the-making and almost everybody who has played with him, or watched him play, agrees to it. IPL auction trends suggested that teams are perhaps moving back towards finger spin being the primary choice of attack. And yet almost all teams have gone in for that one wrist spinner who could be a key component of their attack. In that, LSG have lucked out majorly with Bishnoi , who is now an India capped played at a bargain price. On Wednesday then, it was intriguing that Rohit Sharma decided to throw both Bishnoi and Yuzvendra Chahal together into the mix. Usually, it is an either/or situation. But with the withdrawal of both Washington Sundar and Axar Patel owing to injury, India were left with only two options – Chahal and Bishnoi, or Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. In the past, India has witnessed what ‘KulCha’ have served up . Truth told the flavours have waned a bit, at least until Yadav rediscovers his touch. Chahal and Bishnoi then make for an intriguing mix. With his bowling pace, Bishnoi provides for a similar balance that Yadav did, for Chahal bowls his wrist spin at a much slower pace compared to the other two. This differentiation in pace is a key factor why this pairing works, and could potentially do so in the future as well. The pace factor is important from Bishnoi’s individual perspective as well. It doesn’t allow the batsmen to identify his most potent weapon – the wrong one. Consider the two dismissals against West Indies – first, he had Roston Chase playing plumb as the googly zipped in. Three balls later, knowing Rovman Powell’s penchant for hitting big early, he slipped in the flipper at nearly the same pace. The flighted (sic) delivery dipped in and skidded on, resting straight into the deep fielder’s hands. Going ahead, Bishnoi will probably face the same challenge that Kuldeep Yadav faced. The latter used up his incoming stock deliveries to a large extent, and a lack of variation in pace has caused the drop in form we have witnessed since 2019. This is where Chahal is a better leg spinner – his variations in pace keep him in business. Bishnoi needs to bring this facet into his bowling, and quickly, for international cricket – as well as IPL – are too competitive. At this juncture, the question becomes of an overall bowling picture for team India. Chahal-Bishnoi could be a potential pairing in T20Is, but the resurgence of finger spin in the shortest format cannot be denied. Even for Mumbai Indians, Rohit has shown a propensity to vary his spin attack with all bases covered, and a similar case could be made herein, particularly when Ravindra Jadeja returns from injury. Moving on then, from a 360-degree perspective, India’s bowling plans need some sorting as concerns the looming T20 World Cup in Australia. Affording continued rest to Jasprit Bumrah means the ability to experiment with a few different names and combinations. Harshal Patel made the most of his chance, and Mohd. Siraj/Avesh Khan could come into the picture soon enough. Then, there is also Shardul Thakur waiting in the wings. If Rohit adopts Mumbai Indians’ three pacers’ formula on the international stage too, he gets a pace specialist, a finisher/stock T2 bowler and a bowling all-rounder into the mix. Bumrah, Siraj, Harshal and Avesh make for the options in the first two spots. It leaves the bowling all-rounder, the one who can bat a bit but more importantly, hold fort with the ball (no, not Venkatesh Iyer). It leaves Thakur fighting it out with Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for one spot in the playing eleven, and arguably two in the overall World Cup squad. The spotlight herein is more on Chahar and Kumar, for they identical in more ways than one. Similarities in pace and movement, with ability to hit big with the bat, pits them both into a keen contest for one spot at the T20 World Cup. Let us be honest here – only one of these two can make the playing eleven, or even the squad, if an all-round balance is needed in the pace options. With bigger grounds and flatter pitches in Australia, Chahar might just nudge ahead. Can Bhuvi raise his fitness and bowling in the upcoming IPL season, and limited international opportunities, to stay in contention? 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