Are Indians missing Bhuvneshwar Kumar? Nasser Hussain asked Dinesh Karthik ahead of the start of play on the fifth day of The Ultimate Test at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton on Tuesday. Hussain’s fellow Englishman Mike Atherton was curious to know from Sunil Gavaskar whether Kumar would have been ideal for the conditions in Southampton. Gavaskar said he would have liked Kumar as the fourth medium pacer for the WTC final and perhaps not for the five-Test series against Joe Root’s men in August-September.
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Kumar hasn’t played a Test match since the Johannesburg Test in 2018, which India won by 63 runs. Since then, it has been only white-ball cricket for the Uttar Pradesh seamer as injuries also curtailed his career. Kumar has been named as the vice-captain for the limited overs series to be held in Sri Lanka next month.
In his only appearance in a Test series in England, Kumar took 19 wickets at 26.63 in five matches in 2014. He missed the 2018 Test series in England due to a lower back injury. Former India all-rounder and a key member of India’s successful 1983 World Cup campaign in England, Roger Binny wondered why Kumar was not playing in England. “Bhuvi is your best bowler in England. He and Shardul Thakur would have been effective because they are seamers, getting the ball over the seam and on the right length. “
Such was the disappointing bowling of the Indian pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami on Sunday that allowed New Zealand to take the game away from India even in a rain-hit Test and eventually take an eight-wicket win. A meager target of 139 runs in minimum 53 overs, to become world Test champions in their inaugural World Test Championship 2019-21 cycle.
The lengths that the Indian bowlers sent in on Sunday after being bowled out for just 217 left much to be desired, with New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham scoring 70 runs for the Kiwis to eventually post 249. and led the way. This was in stark contrast to what New Zealand bowled at the Indians in the first innings of 32 on Tuesday evening, often sending short deliveries and troubling the Indian batsmen, not giving them room to score freely.
On the other hand, there was hardly any lacuna from the Indians, which prompted Test debutant commentator Dinesh Karthik to say during a studio discussion that the Indians should bowl on New Zealand’s helmet and shake the opposition a bit. Perhaps being criticized for letting Kane Williamson and his men score on Sunday and not allowing New Zealand players to be included, the Mohammed Shami-led Indian bowlers on Tuesday were completely different.
He adjusted the length and allowed the New Zealanders to drive and took wickets in the bargain. The length with which the Indians bowled on Tuesday was missing on Sunday, which was being criticized. And all the more because the Indian bowling line-up is regarded as a mighty force anywhere in the world.
Binny, who was the leading wicket-taker in the 1983 World Cup in England with 18 wickets, was surprised by India’s bowling on Sunday. So was his teammate and 1983 World Cup winner Balwinder Singh Sandhu. Sandhu said: “The Indians bowled short on Sunday but on Tuesday they pitched the ball. You have to play them with the front foot. The bowlers may get rusty but you pitch the pitch and take wickets and let the batsmen drive from the front foot.
Sandhu said he would have preferred Mohammad Siraj over Ishant, while the latter was the most experienced player with over 300 wickets. “Even after playing 100 Tests, Ishant looks like a new player to me. He should have led the attack but Shami is playing that role. Bumrah was also disappointed with the ball not hitting the seam.
For all his experience, Sharma took three wickets for 48 runs in 25 overs in New Zealand’s first innings on their fourth Test tour of England after 2011, 2014 and 2018, but kept wickets in the second innings. Shami was the best Indian bowler of all time to bring India back into the game on Tuesday and finish with 4/76 in 26 overs. The third member of the fast bowling trio, Bumrah kept wickets in both the innings after bowling a combined 36.4 overs.
Shami made India’s return to the game on Tuesday. He forced Ross Taylor to drive away from his body for Shubman Gill to take a brilliant catch at short cover. The Bengal right-hander hit the seam and, playing his last Test, brilliantly cast Kiwi wicketkeeper BJ Watling, and removed dangerous all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme from leg before wicket, after hitting the deck. Moved and grabbing the back pad of the right hand.
Shami also bowled a short delivery as the long Kyle Jamieson was in an aggressive mood and from top-edge to long leg. True to what Sandhu said, Shami was clearly the leader of the Indian attack. Binny said that the Indians should have learned from the way New Zealand bowled at the Indians.
“Watching the Indians bowling on Sunday (the third day of the Test), this was not the way to bowl in a Test in England. It was a complete disgrace. What did the opposition do to you? Virat Kohli was struggling to get out of the square. All the batsmen fought. How many times were Kohli and Rahane beaten? There is always something for you on the pitches of England, especially when you are seaming the ball.
“And, when New Zealand comes to bat, they are happily scoring against you. How was this performance? They are playing a test match. When you bowl, you are bowling in the batsman’s half. You don’t bowl in your half. They have to play shots. The shorter you bowl, the faster the ball will move. You have to attack to take wickets, not to bowl defensively. Indian bowlers were bowling to stop him. I was very surprised by the way he bowled in a Test in England. Opponent knocks you out with seam balls. You just have to watch him bowl that way. You lift the ball.
“The Indians had a bad strategy. The wicket was doing something. And, Indian bowlers are not freshers. You are sitting and watching the New Zealand bowlers bowl to their batsmen. That’s how you learn. Didn’t the Indians see him how he did it? I am expecting better performance from the Indian bowlers.”
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Binny, who had his best performances in England at 20.92 in Tests and 19.14 in ODIs, said India should have attacked straight away with 217 runs in the first innings. He added: “They have to change their strategy. They can’t go into a match like this. He has to bowl according to the conditions. If circumstances call for you to bowl a shorter length, bowl a shorter length. Once you have 217 on the board, you have to attack directly.
“I think he didn’t pick the right bowling line-up. You have someone who seams the ball, does a little bit with the ball. That’s what New Zealand did. They are not quick. He kept on bowling with the right line and length. You can’t get batsmen out at 90 and 100 pace but seam and swing.”
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