India’s death bowling still a headache despite T20I series win over Australia

A series’ win against Australia is never of little importance. Sure, the eight-over slugfest in Nagpur didn’t mean much, but across the other two full games in Mohali and Hyderabad, the two sides went toe-to-toe.

These were three out of India’s last six games ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup. While they were played in conditions alien to those of the upcoming tournament, there is nothing to be gained out of that discussion. Instead, Indian cricket needs to look at the positives emanating from this series. Axar Patel tops this list, never mind his butter fingers, as he calmly slotted in as Ravindra Jadeja’s replacement as concerns bowling. Virat Kohli scored more runs, match-winning runs to be precise, and in doing so, looked like the Virat Kohli we know, not someone taking advantage of disinterested Afghanistan.

Slowly, and surely, India’s primary batting plans for the World Cup are taking shape. Surprisingly, they do not involve Rishabh Pant in the starting eleven, but that’s just how it is at times. From the top-order efficacy, to Suryakumar Yadav’s mercurial displays, to Hardik Pandya’s maturity, to Dinesh Karthik’s finishing, this batting line-up is finally starting to come together. It is in sharp contrast to what we witnessed in the Asia Cup.

Read: Virat Kohli back to winning ways, as core of Indian batting begins to regain shape

Even so, one headache remains and it is becoming a major one. Death bowling.

Sample this. If you ignore the Nagpur game (versus Australia) due to curtailed overs and the Afghanistan game (inconsequential), then India has leaked runs at the death. The lowest conceded is 44-5 in 4.5 overs against Pakistan in the Asia Cup opener. The highest was in Mohali when Australia smacked 63-1 in just 4.2 overs. Even Hong Kong managed 46-1 in five death overs.

Overall, India has conceded 317 runs in 28.1 overs of death bowling in these six games since the Asia Cup. That’s a staggering concession of 11.28 runs per over at the death. Leaking runs is an understatement — India’s death bowlers are haemorrhaging runs at the death and this is not World Cup winning form by any stretch.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the main culprit herein. He has bowled the 19th over in four of these six games, and conceded 61 runs at 15 per over. He also conceded 21 runs in the 18th against Australia on Sunday night. Overall, on five occasions, when Kumar has bowled the 18th over or beyond, he has conceded 82 runs in 5 overs at 16.4 per over. It only comes down marginally if you consider he gave away 4 runs to Hong Kong in the 18th. Otherwise, he has been pretty shoddy and that’s being kind.

So, what is Kumar’s problem? Has he lost his art at the death? There is no doubt he isn’t the bowler he once was, but still serves utility in the powerplay and middle overs. It is bowling at the death that’s quickly becoming his Achilles’ heel. He either tries to bowl wide outside the off-stump, or attacks the leg stump with low full tosses. This wayward approach is the key reasoning why Kumar is repeatedly getting thumped at the death.

Rohit Sharma: We need to improve our death bowling

Can he bowl better? It seems he is past that stage because the other option is to bowl hard lengths, and as Cameron Green showed, he gets attacked even at top of the innings. At the death, when the ball is soft and there is little movement to aid him, at Kumar’s pace, he is a glutton for punishment. Conclusion? Kumar should not bowl beyond the 15th or the 16th over.

If this transpires, it will have cascading effects on the entire bowling line-up. First, it would mean holding back Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel/Arshdeep Singh further to compensate for the death overs. Second, it would also mean that Hardik Pandya would have to bowl in the powerplay. It is going to be an interesting mix, and one wonders if the Australian conditions will sustain this change of tactic.

India’s other concern is a lack of an able partner for Bumrah at the death. Patel and Singh have had few chances to come to terms with the harsh demands of international cricket. Often, they have found themselves at the receiving end because the bowler prior to them (Kumar on most occasions) has not been able to maintain pressure and leaked runs. Bowling, at any juncture and more so at the death, is about sustaining pressure, something India’s pacers have been unable to do.

This places tremendous pressure on the likes of Patel and Singh. When it comes to the World Cup, the duo will likely be rotated as the third pace option. In their short experience, they would have realised that the demands of international cricket are quite different to those of the IPL. Herein, you do not have the luxury of bowling to only four overseas batsmen. On this grander stage, analysts and statisticians will find out your weaknesses in the blink of an eye. How the duo respond to this challenge will be key to India’s campaign Down Under.

Read: Axar’s magic, Green’s World Cup absence, and more talking points from IND-AUS T20Is

Of course, it doesn’t help that Bumrah is yet to find his best rhythm. In fact, when it comes to T20 cricket, he hasn’t had the best year. During the IPL season, Bumrah was often stranded alone as batsmen often targeted other Mumbai Indians’ bowlers, thus impacting his overall efficacy across the board. Then, there was the recurring back injury and it is a wonder how fit he really is. Clearly, Bumrah hasn’t been bowling at full tilt and only slowly regaining match fitness.

The idea is to get him to Australia, at any cost, and then figure out the rest. For, without Bumrah, India’s World Cup is already lost.

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