Former Indian spinner and commentator Ravi Ashwin has reckoned that the current Indian T20I side lacks a good-quality bowling attack. Notably, his comments came right after India’s six-wicket defeat to the West Indies in the second T20I.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin pointed out Indian bowlers’ inability to adapt to the conditions and their lack of game awareness as the reasons behind India’s thumping defeat to the visitors.
“It’s not that I’m blaming the bowlers, but we don’t have enough quality in our bowling, and we haven’t placed enough emphasis on developing it. That is why the chances of producing high-quality bowlers remain quite low. I really hope we spend some time grooming high-quality bowlers because bowling in such conditions requires understanding and game awareness. I felt that was lacking a little today,” Ashwin said.
“Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were both fortunate in a way because, as captains, they had a cheat code in the form of Jasprit Bumrah. He can bowl defensively when required, and he also has a good variety of slower deliveries. But not many bowlers are that gifted, and I am genuinely worried about the future of Indian bowling,” he added.
Delving into the details of the second T20I, India was tasked to bat first, and they posted a whopping total of 249/5 in 20 overs, courtesy of Sanju Samson’s 82 and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 44. Roston Chase scalped a three-fer.
In the second innings, the West Indies finished the proceedings in 18.3 overs with six wickets in hand. Shai Hope was the top scorer, amassing an unbeaten 102 off 45 balls. In the middle order, Sherfane Rutherford scored 84 off 37.
“250 was a good score. I just feel India lacked a bit of defensive bowling. I mean, Shivam Dube was brought into the attack immediately after the powerplay. I think both captains, whether it was Shai Hope or Shreyas Iyer, had very average days today. Mayank Yadav picked up the first two or three wickets inside six overs, it would have been time to bring Kuldeep Yadav into the attack a little earlier.
“With so much dew around, the umpires would also have given the captain some leeway to change the ball. India could have used that benefit to give Kuldeep a slightly less wet ball because even if the ball grips a little in one over, it can make a world of difference,” he concluded.
