04 September,2023 07:13 AM IST | Kandy | Santosh Suri
Rohit Sharma (left) and Virat Kohli are clean bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi on Saturday. Pics/AFP, AP;PTI
Left-arm pacers have always been a bugbear for India's top-order batters. Across generations, whenever Indian batters are up against a top-class left-arm fast bowler, the going gets tough. It was no different when the Indian top-order was up against Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi in the Asia Cup on Saturday. No doubt the overcast conditions did help Afridi, but he has been a handful even in a desert venue like Dubai, where he has not only troubled, but also dismissed the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Such blows set the team back big time as we have seen India losing to Pakistan in crucial games lately.
At the media interaction before the Pakistan game, Rohit was asked how the team planned to prepare for the top-class bowling unit that Pakistan possess. Sharma replied tongue-in-cheek: "Yes, we do not have Shaheen Afridi and Waseem Hasan in our team. Thus, we have to practice against the bowlers that are in our team." This statement is quite a giveaway as all the pace bowlers in the Indian team are right-handed, be it Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur or Prasidh Krishna. On the other hand, we have three left-arm spinners - Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
There used to be a time when India used to carry net bowlers or left-arm throw-in specialists to give Indian batters the much-needed practice against left-arm pacers. But this move, it seems, has been discarded. There is no doubt Afridi is an excellent pace bowler, who moves the ball both ways at high speed. He cleaned up Rohit beautifully, sending down two outswingers and then castling him with one that held its line.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2023: Another chapter in India vs Pakistan rivalry
He then got rid of Kohli, who chopped the ball onto his stumps. Afridi returned to account for Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. India did manage a recovery and, at one stage, it seemed they would cross the 300-mark, but Afridi put an end to the notion with two quick strikes in the middle overs.
Afridi remains a perennial threat for Team India with fellow pacers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf also keeping up the pressure. The impressive trio grabbed as many as nine Indian wickets on Saturday.
With India scheduled to face Pakistan in a crucial game on September 10 in Colombo, followed by hopefully, the Asia Cup final on September 17, and then in the much-anticipated World Cup match in Ahmedabad on October 14, the Men in Blue don't have much time on hand and must quickly sort out ways this three-pronged Pakistan pace attack.
Of course, there will be some days when the Indian batters will have the upper hand but they need to do it regularly. The inconsistent form of the top-order has been a talking point for some time.
Rohit is not as prolific as he was a couple of years ago, Shubman Gill has had his share of failures, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are coming out of injuries while Suryakumar Yadav has not been as effective in ODIs.
That leaves only Kohli, who has the panache to deliver in high-octane games. India have apparently decided to stick with this set of batters in the World Cup too. Thus, India will have to swim or sink with them. Besides the Pakistan pace trio, almost all top teams have highly skilled bowlers, who, on their day, can rock anybody's boat. India will have to overcome the mental and technical demons to make a mark in both, the Asia Cup and World Cup that follows.
