Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Former India head coach Greg Chappell believes that more than the disappointing fielding performance in their five-wicket defeat to England in the first Test at Headingley, it was the lack of variety in the bowling attack which stood out as a more concerning factor for him. “More concerning to me, though, is the lack of variety in the bowling attack. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, India’s seamers are too similar – all right-arm, medium-fast, operating at comparable angles. There is a reason why wickets often fall after a change of bowling. It forces the batter to recalibrate. That variability isn’t available to Shubman Gill with his current crop,” wrote Chappell in his ESPNCricinfo column on June 30.
At Headingley, Bumrah recorded match figures of 5-140 from 43.4 overs – with all five of his scalps coming in the first innings. It was the case of Bumrah standing head and shoulders above anyone else, as other seamers – Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna – had combined figures of 9-482 in 92 overs. Ravindra Jadeja, the lone spin-bowling option, recorded figures of 0-68 and 1-104 in both innings.
“As disappointing as the fielding in Headingley was, it was not the main reason India lost the Test. Most of India’s problems were self-inflicted. Perhaps the most expensive error was the no-ball that gave Harry Brook an early life in the second innings.”
