cricket

Updated: Dec 11, 2018 19:09 IST

Ravi Shastri, the Indian coach for all his perceived strengths and weaknesses, is a voracious orator. He does not speak, but the words thunder out of his mouth and depending on the results of the team, these words can be deciphered.

Yes, he tends to get carried away at times, and this team might not be the best Indian side in history, but when he claimed that his bowling attack was the best, it was no hyperbole.

Indian batting has been jittery, furrowed eyebrows have kept following the batsmen, but the fact that the team has been able to compete and even win matches in South Africa and England has a lot to do with the potency of the bowling attack.

The pacers have combined to aggregate 146 wickets at an average of 24.15 in 2018. These numbers are the best this year, and they are well clear of Australia, South Africa, and Australia.

Their strike rate reads an impressive 47.3 and is the third-best in 2018 after West Indies (37.3) and South Africa (43.2).

It is a well-rounded attack. Ishant Sharma has height and experience, Mohammed Shami has the skills and Jasprit Bumrah has the variations up his sleeve. Throw in the skill if Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the pace of Umesh Yadav and this attack certainly seems to have all the bases covered.

We need to just skim the surface in Adelaide. On a track which was not fast at all, did not have any pronounced seam movement, the Indian bowlers gave a great display of their accuracy and relentless approach.

Shami, Bumrah and Ishant – the three quicks who played in Adelaide find their names in the top 10 wicket-takers this year. No other country has three names in the top 10 bracket.

Shami has picked up 38 wickets at an average of 27.21, Bumrah 34 at 24.44 and Ishant has accounted for 33 wickets at an average of 22.03.

So, when Ishant Sharma ran and banged the ball in short, and when the ball snaked back in at Travis Head who tried to get out of the way, but the ball collided with his gloves and lobbed up, the picture was what every Indian fan had yearned for years. When Bumrah kept pushing the batsmen back and when Shami dangled a full and wide ball outside the off stump for the batsmen to chase and nick behind, it just vindicated the relentless pressure they put on the batsmen. This is what pace does, you splash around for a rescue and the lower your head to depart the scene.

India are the number 1 side in Test cricket and historically, pace bowling has been the roadblock to India’s Test teams achieving greatness. Not anymore one feels.

“Super proud (of the bowlers) to have four bowlers and take 20 wickets to win a Test match is an outstanding feat, something which we haven’t done in the past in Australia. They are at their peak, all of them together,” Kohli said after the match in Adelaide.

South Africa and then again in England, there were times when the Indian bowlers looked more at home on helpful pitches and this should worry Australia if they are planning to play on a spicy pitch in Perth.

With the new ball, these Indian pacers have picked up 91 top and middle order wickets this year. Yes, they were expected to rule the roost in England and South Africa, but then they have managed to separate the opening combination 10 out of the 11 times this year. It has been the best year for the bowlers this year as they have picked up 12.16 wickets per match.

Hence, when Virat Kohli gave away his first-class seats to the bowlers on the flight to Adelaide, one believes it was a gesture made by a captain who recognises that those feet need more space as those very feet will pound in again when the ball is in their hands at Perth.