Bowler-led approach working
Most good international cricket teams seem to be built around two, maybe three, exceptional batsmen and two, rarely ever three, exceptional bowlers – unless you are talking about England whose one-day international batting line-up, as an entity, is of a once-in-a-generation class.
The point is, teams look for balance. However, this does not quite apply in India’s case.
There is little doubt India lack depth in the batting. With Shikhar Dhawan injured, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the only two shining lights with the bat.
MS Dhoni no longer crushes bowling attacks like he used to in his heyday, instead offering much-needed solidity lower down the order.
KL Rahul has shown solidity at the top of the order but failed to kick on in most of the matches, although this might be changing if his half-century against Bangladesh on Tuesday is any indication. Then there is Hardik Pandya, who has been shunted up and down the order depending on the match situation and is doing, with limited success, what Dhoni used to.
The problem is when both Rohit and Kohli flop, which has not happened so far, India have no one to anchor the innings and make a big score.
In sharp contrast, they have an attack loaded with talented, aggressive and wicket-taking bowlers.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami have been among the wickets, but fellow seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is right up there in terms of quality and only trails in the bowling chart because he was laid low by an injury.
As for the spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been so good they have not only kept Ravindra Jadeja out of the XI, but Ravichandran Ashwin out of the squad as well.
Clearly, this Indian team – unlike teams of the past – is being led by bowlers more than batsmen. And it is possibly for this reason India have chosen to go with four specialist bowlers – even though none of them can bat with any real authority – with batting all-rounder in Pandya acting as a fifth bowler.
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What must Pakistan do to reach World Cup semi-finals?: The Cricket Pod
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Unlike most other teams, India do not have a strong sixth bowler, and they have not shown the need for one, except when they were getting battered by England. Even in that game, the hosts could have made a much bigger score if not for the strength of India’s bowling.
It is this strength – aside from the consistency shown by Rohit and Kohli with the bat – that has underpinned India’s progress to the semi-finals. As much of a tinkerman Kohli can be as captain, he has shown little interest in changing the formula – other than replacing Kuldeep with a fit-again Bhuvneshwar against Bangladesh.
Bhuvi better option
Bhuvneshwar played in the first two matches, taking five wickets before breaking down with a hamstring injury in the third having bowled just 2.4 overs. If not for the irresistible form of Shami, his replacement, Bhuvneshwar would have returned sooner than he did in the Bangladesh game.
He replaced Kuldeep, presumably because the Edgbaston pitch had something in it for the seamer. The question is whether the team management will be tempted to get the left-arm leg-spinner back in the XI seeing as he and Chahal hunt in pairs.
Who knows what the semi-final line-up will look like, but if India were to play, say, England at Edgbaston, again, would it not be better for India to continue fielding three seamers? Besides, Bhuvneshwar is a marginally better batsman.
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Player ratings from India v Bangladesh
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KL Rahul (8/10): The opening batsman finally came good, building on the good starts he has made in most matches in the tournament. Was content to hold back even as Rohit Sharma was in big-hitting form at the other end. Was involved in an 180-run stand that set the foundation for victory. Getty Images -
Rohit Sharma (10/10): The vice-captain has been in the form of his life, scoring the fourth century of the World Cup - the first Indian to do so and the second player after Kumar Sangakkara achieved the feat in the 2015 event. He laid the foundation for a good match-winning total. Getty Images -
Virat Kohli (6/10): The captain did not have the best outing with the bat, scoring just 26 runs, which ended his run of five consecutive half-centuries in the tournament. But he was plugged in while India were fielding, holding on to a catch. Reuters -
Rishabh Pant (7/10): The future superstar of Indian cricket scored another cameo of 48 to keep India in the hunt for a 300-plus score. One of these days, he needs to build on the good starts he has been getting in his fledgling ODI career. Getty Images -
Hardik Pandya (7/10): He failed with the bat yesterday, but he was excellent in the field as he took three wickets despite being a touch expensive with the ball. AP Photo -
MS Dhoni (6/10): The embattled wicketkeeper-batsman once again struggled to get going and, even though he ended up with a 33-ball 35, he is clearly not batting like he once used to. There were mitigating factors, such as a lack of support from the lower order. Reuters -
Dinesh Karthik (3/10): Brought in as a replacement for Kedar Jadhav, the back-up wicketkeeper-batsman came in at No 7 and never got going, ending up with just eight runs. He has little time to settle down as a batsman, but he has the experience to play a more key role lower down the order. AP Photo -
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (5/10): The medium-pacer returned to the side after nursing an injury, and he did his bit by taking the wicket of Mashrafe Mortaza. He will need to get more runs batting at No 8, though. AP Photo -
Mohammed Shami (4/10): The fast bowler did not have the most prolific day with the ball, taking just the one wicket - although it was the wicket of opener Tamim Iqbal. Getty Images -
Jasprit Bumrah (10/10): The fast bowler was among the wickets again as dismissed four Bangladesh batsmen. He has become the most important bowling asset to this Indian team. Getty Images -
Yuzvendra Chahal (4/10): The leg-spinner was the sole specialist spinner in the game and did his bit to take the wicket of dangerman Mushfiqur Rahim, but he was a touch expensive as well. There should be better days in store for him. AP Photo
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Mystery around Jadhav
India appeared to strengthen the batting in the Bangladesh match by replacing Kedar Jadhav with Dinesh Karthik. But did they really do that?
Jadhav copped plenty of criticism for his underwhelming strike-rate with the bat during the defeat to England, but he has not had many opportunities to score runs in the tournament. The one time he did, he scored a fifty, against Afghanistan, and on a pitch that was not exactly a featherbed.
To call Karthik a hanger-on might be unfair on him, for he has reinvented himself as a limited-overs batsman and leader. Yet, his evolution has been far from extraordinary since he made his international debut in 2004.
Aside from contributing just eight runs against Bangladesh, he was also the fourth wicketkeeper in the XI on Tuesday (including part-time stumper Rahul). Would India not benefit more from Jadhav’s off-spin? Or, perhaps pick Jadeja, who is every bit as good a fielder as Karthik is apart from being a genuine all-rounder?
