The Indian bowling lacked the ‘cutting edge’ to kill of the Proteas fightback in the 1st Test at the Wanderers as the latter fought back valiantly in the record chase.
The Indian bowling lacked the ‘cutting edge’ to the kill of Proteas fightback in the 1st Test at the Wanderers as the latter fought back valiantly in the record chase. With the 2nd Test at Durban on Boxing Day, MS Dhoni has some tough decision to take on calling in the final eleven. So the question arises that, is our bowling weak? Is R Ashwin not good enough on away pitches? Our ex-cricketers think so:
Former India pacer Manoj Prabhakar – “It could have been a crucial win for India, but our bowlers missed a golden opportunity to win the game. Even though we were lucky to escape with a draw, morally South Africa won the battle because they came so close to the target.”
Former India spinner and selector Venkatapathy Raju – “In India, we bowl with SG balls. The Kookaburra ones are slightly different to handle. You need some finer adjustments to succeed abroad. One needs experienced bowlers to use the Kookaburra balls. We did not get any practice matches before the Test series, so that also could have affected our bowlers.”
Anshuman Gaekwad, the former India coach – “Most of the runs came square of the wicket. What was required is bowling a stump-to-stump line. We got carried away with the extra bounce and pace. The bowlers tried harder when they were being hit all over.
Skipper MS Dhoni has some serious thinking to do before the vital 2nd Test if India are to win their first series in South Africa.
As quoted in MiD DAY
Photo: BCCI
