John Lever with a layer of Vaseline on the ball at Chepauk, 1977-78. Wasim Akram in all his glory and diversity since the mid-1980s for over a decade. Bruce Reid in Australia in 1991-92. Mustafizur Rahman in Bangladesh in 2015. Mohammad Amir in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy in 2017. Trent Boult In the World Cup semi-finals in 2019. Shaheen Shah Afridi in Dubai in 2021. It’s a long list with one common factor: India’s struggle against left-arm fast bowling.
It would be worth revisiting Afridi’s first spell against India…Yorker-length two Rohit Sharma, lean in slightly and accelerate. It was almost impossible for an opener to play his first ball. Also, it offered Amir a comeback after Rohit’s dismissal in the final of the Champions Trophy four years ago. He was caught at the crease on both the occasions.
KL Rahul Was done by seam movement, a delivery that shaped back from the outside off stump. This has happened several times with Indian batsmen, when a left arm is found to be in-swing at high speed. Bolt will pose a similar threat in the virtual knockout game and a lot will depend on how the Indian top-order tackles him.
Joe Root’s masterclass on YouTube on the art of interacting with left-arm fast bowlers coming from over the wicket. “Normally, I would stand on the middle stump, opening both sides of the wicket, trying to keep it calm neutral. And maybe for a left-handed batsman, my back foot moves forward a little bit, my left foot will open up a bit and I try to align my shoulder with where the ball is coming from, “They say England Test captain.
Dilip Vengsarkar speaks about the importance of front-foot trigger movement while facing left-arm fast bowlers from over the wicket. “I don’t think it’s a real problem (for India), but when I was facing John Lever for the first time in 1977, I was told by Chandu Borde, who was a selector at the time, ‘When my stance Keep a little open He’s bowling you over the wicket. Then you get a clearer picture. Open your left shoulder a little bit’. If you are facing fast bowlers like Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Afridi all over 140 kmph, you have to be extra cautious and go on your front foot, as they can surprise you with the pace. Also, “India former captain of Indian Express.
“If you have a great stride, you can stay steady at the point of the bowler leaving the ball,” he said. But you should always be ready to be on the front foot. It is important to pick the length early,” he adds.
It takes some time for the new batsman to get into the leg properly. Rohit was a case in point in India’s T20 World Cup opener. Vengsarkar advises. “You do a lot of skipping before you go out to bat and if you can open your left shoulder a little bit, that will help.”
Maybe, the Indian batsmen would be better off playing straight at the start or towards mid-off rather than crossing the line against Boult. Vengsarkar asked him to follow Kohli’s batting pattern against Afridi. “He was coming on the front foot as far as he could, which neutralized the swing. On pitches where you can get on the front foot like Kohli, and I’m sure others can too, they will be successful (to counter the threat of left-arm pace).
follow the leader
Unlike his teammates, Kohli dominated Afridi. First, it was a case of snatching the initiative, which the India skipper did by running a good length delivery and clipping it through mid-wicket for a couple. Kohli’s advance movement not only ruled out any possibility of LBW, it also forced the bowler to change his length. Kohli’s six in that over was the result of the psychological upper hand he gained over Afridi. The latter had pulled his length back a bit but Kohli still went into it and hit it over mid-on. A small victory for him.
Root says: “I want the bat to come straight down. At the start of my innings, I would try and make sure that mid-off is where you really want to hit to give yourself the best chance. “
Many Indian batsmen have a tendency to play across the line even against the swing of the new ball. Maybe, Root’s method can be a good reference point against Bolt.
But what should be the composition of India’s team against New Zealand? Vengsarkar, a former chief selector, refuses to go into the selection debate without direct knowledge of team matters: India’s preparation, net sessions, etc.
“It is not fair, sitting in Mumbai to comment about the form and fitness of players. I think except Hardik Pandya, he will play from the same team as he is not fit,” Vengsarkar said.
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