Don't blame Dhoni, even Lloyd, Waugh would have failed

By Michael Holding Looking back on the second one-dayer, I would think that it was more the ineffective Indian bowling which cost the visitors the game than anything else. The bowling looks really mediocre. There is no bigger telling statement than the fact that if a captain has to depend on Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli to stem the rot with the ball, then you are struggling. The pitch was excellent and the fact that England bowling, which is far superior to India’s, managed to just about keep the visiting side down to 187 is a testimony to this fact. I think India should have made more runs as a matter of fact. No target is insurmountable with this sort of attack. I have been saying since the World Cup, that in one day cricket, India has a better chance of winning when it is chasing. India’s batting is so strong it can chase down ALMOST any target. Obviously the present squad is not as strong as the World Cup winning squad, but still the batting is good enough to chase down huge scores. There is no better example of that than the World Cup final. In that game, India lost Tendulkar early but the batting line up was so strong that they won with absolute ease. [caption id=“attachment_78961” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Dhoni can’t be blamed for the loss. It’s India’s mediocre bowling that’s letting them down. AP”] [/caption] Now the team also has Dravid in the line-up which in my opinion is a big plus. I am not sure why a player of Dravid’s class has not played more one day games than he has in the last couple of years. Dravid is capable enough to adjust to this format and he should not be left out of this format at any cost unless of course it’s his choice. There is some discussion on whether India should have played Mishra instead of Manoj Tiwary. The reason being that they ended up short in the bowling department. My opinion is that even if India plays with eleven bowlers that will not solve the problem. There is no point in having any number of bowlers if they are all mediocre bowlers. India needs a better bowling attack, period. The solution being offered is more of the same. I don’t think Mishra is that good a bowler that he would have picked up plenty of wickets. It should be about quality not quantity. There is some buzz around Varun Aaron, who is tipped to be bowling around 90 miles per hour. I cannot comment on whether he would have made a difference because I have never seen him bowl. There is no point in bowling quick if you’re not accurate and then bowling all over the shop, so I will reserve my opinion on that until I actually see him perform. There have been a few comments surrounding Dhoni’s captaincy in this series but this is mediocre bowling and hence the results produced cannot be a reflection on Dhoni’s captaincy. He is captaining the team that is best available to him. Even if Clive Lloyd, Steve Waugh, Ian Chappell, Mark Taylor or Stephen Fleming or any of the other great and successful captains from the past were to captain this side they would have struggled. The fact is India needs to find some good bowlers and quickly at that. As without the bowlers it is going to be a long hard struggle. The only way to develop good bowlers is by looking at the way domestic cricket is structured in India. Playing Twenty20 cricket won’t help India’s bowling woes. You cannot learn anything by playing that format. A bowler will learn only by bowling for an extended period of time. In twenty overs each bowler bowls a maximum of four overs and you are only trying to prevent fours and sixes. India is not going to ever get rid of the IPL, that is a given. So India needs to look at how the other formats of cricket are structured at the domestic level. They need to ensure that the structure is strong there for cricketers to develop or should I say bowlers to develop. Vinay Kumar is one of the top wicket takers in India’s first class competition, Ranji Trophy. But here in England he has been found wanting. [caption id=“attachment_78963” align=“alignright” width=“280” caption=“Ashwin will need to prove his credentials. AP”] [/caption] That does perhaps show the flaws in the structure. The pitches produced are perhaps are not good enough and are very mediocre. That leads to mediocre bowlers being successful without having to learn too much about their craft. This doesn’t ultimately prevent them from being a success at the highest level but they take a bit longer to mature as they then have to learn at the highest level which is not ideal. The pitches need to be such that they should not start taking too much spin or assist any type of bowler too early in the game or else this supply line of mediocre bowlers will continue. Bowlers will learn by bowling on good pitches against good batsmen. Similarly batsmen cannot be prepared for tougher battles by playing on concrete pitches where they can just play through the line or pitches that never bounce above your waist so that your courage is never tested. That is the balance that boards need to find in domestic competitions, not just in India but across the world. India have had some positives from this tour. I have liked the look of the gritty Parthiv Patel who has shown strength of character and also Rahane looks a good cricketer who plays good shots. So there are two positives, two young talents for the future. I have always liked the look of Virat Kohli. But again these are batsmen. You can score millions of runs, but only if you TAKE 20 wickets can you win Test matches. Similarly in one-day cricket they cannot keep just chasing targets to win. If you do not find bowlers you cannot win the high percentage of one-day contests that will keep you at the top of the tree for long. Is there any good bowler there? If yes, step up now, here’s your opportunity it is quite obvious that your country needs you. Quba Media Works