Back-up bowlers thrive in one-sided series win

Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi send reminders to selectors in a clinical 4-1 T20I series win against the Caribbean side.

Sunday set a different precedent in T20 cricket when all 10 wickets were taken by spinners. Chasing 188 was always going to be very tough but West Indies almost played into India’s hands by lining up three right-handers ahead of left-handed bat Shimron Hetmyer. Axar Patel (3/15) exploited the left-arm spin angle, reducing West Indies to 33/3 before Hetmyer tried to salvage the lost cause with a fifty. His resilience was no match however for the craft and guile of Kuldeep Yadav (3/12) and Ravi Bishnoi (4/16) who accounted for the remaining wickets as West Indies crashed to 100 within 16 overs, handing India a 4-1 series win.

India's Ravi Bishnoi (R) celebrates a wicket with Rohit Sharma (AP)

Most West Indies batters thrive on pace to manufacture those big hits. India systematically denied them throughout the white-ball tour. The final match on Sunday was no exception. No Ravindra Jadeja, no Ravichandran Ashwin and no Yuzvendra Chahal. The back-up spinners were doing a frontline job against some of the best hitters of the game.

“The kind of talent the players have and the freedom we're getting, this is the new India,” said stand-in captain Hardik Pandya after the win. “I can see players…not worrying about failing. And when you do that, you tend to do special things. I wanted to give Axar the ball early because he is used to bowling in the powerplay; he is capable of holding his own. And then with the wrist spinners, I knew we could get the wickets. It's about how we can get better from here.”

Shreyas Iyer finally coming good with a fifty and Dinesh Karthik reiterating his utility as a finisher—despite issues against spin—are some of the gains. But what must be most assuring for India is the way the back-up bowlers have presented a case for themselves. Weeks from the Asia Cup, and the World Cup in just two months, India are ticking different boxes with almost every player chipping in with noteworthy performances. Yadav is a great example. In deftly setting up Nicholas Pooran within three balls, he showed no rustiness despite not getting a lot of game time after IPL. India may stick to Chahal and Jadeja or Ashwin on the big grounds of Australia, but against non-subcontinent sides Yadav could be ideal as the third spinner, tempting batters with his looping deliveries. Bishnoi too has given a rather impressive account of himself with eight wickets in three games, but he could still be deemed work in progress with his googlies as the only stock ball.

Among pacers, Arshdeep Singh has leapfrogged Avesh Khan in the pecking order after aggregating a terrific economy of 6.58 across five matches that helped him bag the Player-of-the-Series award in only his second international tour. “We’re just looking to do the process properly, not thinking too much about the results and that's what is helping me in my bowling,” said the left-arm pacer at Sunday’s presentation ceremony.

“It's about being adaptable (as a bowler); a lot of credit goes to the team management for giving me clarity. The way the youngsters are being backed is nice, and the feel of the dressing room is really good; helps as a youngster to come in and do whatever you do in your IPL or state teams.” With six wickets and a best of 3/12, Arshdeep has provided a refreshing left-arm pace option that can be used throughout the innings, not just at the death. With Harshal Patel set to miss the Asia Cup (Aug 27–Sept 11), and who knows maybe even the T20 World Cup, Arshdeep going all the way is very much possible.

By design or default, you also can’t miss Pandya’s rise as a leader in Ireland and now in the West Indies. Ever since his maiden IPL win with Gujarat Titans, Pandya’s trajectory has been heartening, be it as middle-order bat or a T20 bowler. He seems to thrive when given responsibility. “Yeah, why not? If I get an opportunity in the future, I'll be more than happy to do that, but right now we have the World Cup and the Asia Cup,” he said. “We’re going to focus on that and make sure as a team what we're doing we continue and make sure that all the skillsets that we are learning we can keep getting better at it, and at the same point enjoy the game as well.”