Follow UsOne big change noticeable in the short time that Gautam Gambhir has been India’s coach is that almost everyone in the team who can bowl with a legal action is getting a chance to bowl. Suryakumar Yadav did the unthinkable when he gave the penultimate over of the third T20I with India on the back foot to Rinku Singh.
He had nothing to lose, and he ended up with two wickets in the over. Yadav himself bowled the last over and got two scalps, and the two part-time off-spinners together ensured that India snatched a tie from the jaws of victory.
In the first ODI, where the pitch was turning, even Shubman Gill managed to turn the ball nicely in the few deliveries he bowled. India’s interim bowling coach, Sairaj Bahutule, felt this development is great for Indian cricket.
"I think our batters are good bowlers as well, to be honest. You know their primary skill is batting, so at times, they don't focus much on their bowling,” Bahutule said.
"You might have seen in the T20Is. Rinku and Surya contributed with the ball, so Shubman was given an opportunity here. It's going to be an all-rounder's game in the coming days.
"So, if one or two [batsmen] from the top order can bowl, it will definitely help the team, of course, depending on pitch conditions and situations. Also, it will be a surprise element to the opposition if a batter can bowl. So, moving ahead there will be ample opportunities for batters to bowl.”
While talking about India’s performance in the game, Bahutule praised skipper Rohit Sharma, who was making a comeback to the format after a long hiatus.
“The start given by Rohit was fantastic, and at one stage it looked like we wouldn't lose too many wickets,” the former India spinner remarked.
“It [the way Rohit batted] was important when the ball was hard and coming onto the bat. I think it was his first ODI innings after the [50-over] World Cup.”
Meanwhile, he regretted that despite bowling well, India couldn’t put up a few big partnerships to close out the game, which ended in a tie. "To have a tie in ODI is always exciting,” Bahutule said.
“Yeah, we should have got that one run and finished off the match. Nevertheless, I thought we bowled really well. We did bat well in patches, and we could have had few partnerships that would have taken us home with less wickets going.
"We tried our best to get into the partnerships, and Shivam [Dube] also batted well and contributed. But yes, we could have put in that one extra effort of scoring that single run."
The second ODI begins tomorrow, August 4, in Colombo.
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