‘Batting is their biggest strength’ is one of those overused cliche’s of Indian cricket. But with the ICC World Twenty20 2016 just a few days away, this is probably one of those rare occasions where the Indian think tank does not have any real concerns about their bowling department. If you go a little further, you can narrow this position of comfort down to the fast bowling department.
Up until three months ago, this was not the case. India were still unsure about their seam attack for the mega event. Bhuvneshwar Kumar seemed to have lost his swing, Umesh Yadav continued to be erratic, Ishant Sharma had found it hard to come back into the T20I side and Mohammed Shami struggled to recover from his injuries.
This prompted the selectors to bring back veteran Ashish Nehra, who had performed well for Chennai Super Kings in the 2015 Indian Premier League (IPL). The move raised a few eyebrows considering his age but the selectors believed in his abilities, the experience he brought and were keen to see how he would fare on the international circuit after more than four years out.
Alongside Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah was unleashed. It turned out to be the perfect combination for Team India as they attained instant success, right from the Australian T20 series. The ploy to bring back the 36-year-old Nehra ahead of the biennial event was perfect, believes Virender Sehwag, Nehra’s former teammate in the Delhi and the Indian teams.
“I am very happy for Nehra. He was the best bowler in the IPL. They picked him and gave him chances in T20Is because he deserves that. And Bumrah was doing well in IPL as well as in domestic matches also,” Sehwag tellsCricbuzz.”Shami is the only concern. He had to undergo a knee surgery. Because he’s a fast bowler, I don’t know how much recovery time he’d would require. What I heard is that he played a couple of T20 games in which he bowled well. The only concern is Shami…If he is fit, then this team is the best team to win the T20 World Cup.
