India's ODI pace bowling concerns and fielding woes ahead of World Cup

New Chandigarh: If one takes a quick scan of India’s ODI resources for next year’s World Cup in South Africa, the pace cupboard wears a bare and fragile look. There’s only Jasprit Bumrah who truly commands a place in the XI. The rest are either on trial or nursing injuries. Mohammed Siraj has gone off the boil dramatically, losing the confidence of the team management. The other ‘experienced’ pacer in the ranks, Prasidh Krishna, was still in the process of establishing his credentials before breaking down in the second ODI. TOI understands that the team management has identified Gurnoor Brar as a strong prospect in South African conditions.

It’s been a rough initiation into ODI captaincy for Shubman Gill. It’s been a year since he assumed the role, but he is yet to get all of his first-choice resources at his disposal. “It’s been unfortunate with the injuries and with the scheduling. We have not been able to play the bowling line-up that we would like to. It’s a great chance for them to showcase their skills,” Gill said after the series win over West Indies here on Saturday. The anxiety was apparent, though. He declared the need for urgency in sorting out the ODI core. With Bumrah away playing in the Asian Games, this series was meant to check the second line of pacers. But Gill doesn’t seem to be in any mood to be in the experimental phase.

“I honestly think there is not that much time to experiment. The combination that we want to play, hopefully we get all the players that are available from the next series. The combination that we would like to play in the World Cup, we want to start playing with that combination,” he stated. Here’s the catch. The next series is a five-ODI affair in New Zealand, which will be followed by a two-Test series. Precariously placed in the World Test Championship table, the team management intends to pull out the Test regulars after the third ODI. That would mean Bumrah, Krishna and Siraj will not be available for the entire series. There’s a strong chance Brar, too, could be pulled out.

Pace bowling was India’s biggest asset in the last two World Cups. Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Siraj were incisive with the new ball and potent in the death overs. Gill clearly sees the gap in his bowling attack. “Bowling in the power play and in the death have hurt us. If you don’t get off to a good start in the power play, it’s not easy to take wickets in the middle overs. It’s not easy to create chances with only four fielders outside the ring. The intensity of the game is completely different if you don’t keep taking wickets either in the power play or in the middle overs. That’s why this series has been so high scoring. Even today we lost two wickets in the power play but we still managed to get 350 on the board,” Gill spelt out his concerns.

Kamboj, Nabi on trial for No. 8 spot

It’s not just about the new-ball bowlers. Gill also revealed that the team management is looking for a pacer who can be a capable batter at No. 8. Recurring injuries to Harshit Rana have compounded Gill’s problems. Which is why Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj were handed debuts in this series. “Anshul and Auqib are going to be in the mix a lot. Anshul is someone who can also bat at No. 8. And that number is very crucial for us. We don’t know who will be fit at the World Cup. And if we want someone who can bowl and can bat a bit at No. 8, Anshul can do the job. And even Aqib can bat a bit and do the job. So, we want to see which players can deliver under pressure,” Gill said.

Both Kamboj and Nabi endured rough debuts, conceding runs at over nine runs per over. However, this is the only spot where Gill may be willing to bide his time. “They would have liked to have done a much better job. But you know, a little bit harsh on them. It’s not easy to come and to be able to deliver straight away. I hope that they learn from their mistakes and the opportunities that they get,” Gill said.

Fielding woes

Gill also made his displeasure about the fielding standards of the team clear. The Indian team’s fielding has worsened over the last eight months. “We dropped around three or four catches today. I don’t think Shai was dropped but still dropping three or four catches breaks the momentum of the team. Our fielding in the series, I would say, has not been up to the mark. I think in the whole series we dropped around seven catches, if I am not wrong. And even in the field today we gave away, many times in the field we were quite sloppy,” he said.

“I think leading up to the World Cup, these are the areas where we definitely need to get better at. We need to be at the peak of our powers, especially when we are in the field. It’s not easy for the bowlers, so the fielders can help a lot. And if the wicket is not helping much for the bowlers and the fielding being substandard, it’s a difficult job for the bowlers,” he added.