In the thrilling opening Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley, Leeds, the Indian men’s cricket team faced a significant hurdle: they couldn’t dismiss all 20 English batsmen, ultimately leading to a defeat as England successfully chased down a historic target to take a 1-0 series lead. The Indian bowlers had moments of brilliance in the first innings, with Jasprit Bumrah bagging five wickets, Mohammed Siraj two, and Prasidh Krishna three. However, the second innings saw a different story unfold, as Bumrah and Siraj went wicketless, while Prasidh and Shardul Thakur each managed to pick up two wickets.
Ahead of the second Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham, set to commence on Wednesday, July 2, former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan offered his insights into the intricacies of pace bowling, shedding light on why the Indian bowlers might have struggled to claim all the wickets. Pathan emphasized the importance of consistent execution and adapting to different batsmen.
“When it comes to bowling, they bowl well in patches. That is one thing. Executing the length according to the batsmen, which we lacked,” Irfan remarked during an interaction facilitated by Sony Sports. He elaborated on the specific challenge posed by England’s opening pair, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. “What was the problem is bowling to Zach Crawley and bowling to Ben Duckett who are partners. They both have different reach,” he explained.
Pathan further highlighted the need for bowlers to adjust their lines and lengths when facing a right-hand, left-hand combination at the crease. “So, first of all, you need to have adjustment between right-hand, left-hand combination. Obviously, that’s a line which you need to adjust as a bowler in a same over. Suppose if I’m bowling first ball to Zach Crawley, he will change the strike to Ben Duckett and in the second ball, Ben Duckett will come to the crease.” He concluded by stressing the critical role of adjusting length on true pitches, particularly in countries like South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia (SENA nations). “The similar length which Zach Crawley plays on the front foot, exactly the same length Ben Duckett is cutting. So, adjusting the particular length is very very important and that’s the key for all our success in the history when you go to SENA countries because the pitches are true. You need to actually bowl that right length,” he added.
He does make sense, what do you say?
