Time To Take A Look At India’s Bowling Cupboard

While producing talented batsmen regularly, India's bowling resources appear meager. What does the future hold?

- Anand Vasu

Ever since India’s slide in the ODIs Down Under began, the sharp focus on Dhoni, both as captain and finisher – Was he in decline? Had he lost the backing of his team? – gave way to a debate on the bowling attack. Typically in India, when the team is not doing well, a theory is sparked off by the comments of a former player, picked up by the 24X7 television news cycle, dissected threadbare and followed up by the newspapers till it has a momentum all its own. The extent to which the bowlers were being trashed was apparent when a veteran cricket reporter and columnist for a leading national newspaper called the Indian bowling “good for nothing.”

This, of course, is far from true. In conditions that suited them, India had just routed South Africa, the No. 1 Test team, at home, with their batsmen being so mentally addled that 200 seemed a bridge too far, and even a return to South African shores did not result in a return of either confidence or form. India had in their ranks the No. 1 ranked Test bowler in the world, R Ashwin, who is as good an offspinner as any that has plied his wares in international cricket in the last decade. He had an off day in Australia, and for the sake of team composition was left out, but the horse had bolted before there was a chance to reconsider the decision.