India's T20I pace attack: An area of concern
Prasidh Krishna had 21 runs to defend in the final over of the third T20I against Australia. Understandable, dew made it hard to control the ball, and India had to bring a fielder in due to a slow over-rate. That Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade were in full flow was obviously another massive factor.
But that’s how T20 works; it’s ruthless, especially for the bowlers. Those runs are enough and would back a bowler with ample IPL experience to close the game for his team. Prasidh conceded as many as five boundaries in his 23-run over to let Australia win their first rubber of the series.
There lies a problem, a massive one. While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are not a part of this series, they will be the first-choice pacers in the T20 World Cup next year. But who will be the other ones?
Mohammed Shami is an option, but he hasn’t played a T20I since India’s shattering defeat against England in last year’s T20 World Cup. Even if he comes in, Shami isn’t really a reliable pacer for the death overs despite the recent improvements. He has also struggled with fitness, and his participation in the South Africa tour is uncertain.
It’s worth remembering that India only have eight T20Is left to find their ideal combination for the T20 World Cup. The other popular options are Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar and Hardik Pandya. Hardik has improved as a bowler but can only bowl two overs if used wisely.
India need more specialists in the pace department. Arshdeep has gone off the radar quickly after the initial bust. He is not reliable in any phase anymore.
The ongoing series against Australia has reinforced it further. This year, Arshdeep has an economy rate of 9.09 while conceding a boundary every 4.78 in T20Is. His over-reliance on yorkers has come to bite him back often, as Arshdeep ends up bowling more deliveries in the slot to make life easier for the batters.
His death-over economy was 9.25 last year but has risen to 11.10 this year. His IPL economy rate in the same phase this season was 9.45 - it stood at 7.91 last season. Glenn Maxwell used his crease brilliantly to dispatch them for maximums in the previous game. Arshdeep ended up bowling half-volleys while attempting to land them into the blockhole.
Prasidh Krishna might not be a T20 bowler for now. Among all the bowlers in the top ten teams to bowl at least five innings in T20Is, Prasidh Krishna has the second-worst economy rate (11) ever. His bowling in the previous game, where he delivered the most expensive T20I spell for India, indicates his current status as a T20 bowler.
Krishna lacks control, so much that he can’t even bowl according to the field set. He had a field for the wide yorker but bowled a friendly short ball in the final over of the third T20I. Prasidh didn’t play IPL 2023, but even during his best season in 2022, Krishna erred numerous times, especially under pressure and bowled looseners. Not that Prasidh is a genuine wicket-taker, either.
Mukesh Kumar’s rise has been tremendous in all the formats. While he hasn’t fetched regular wickets, Mukesh has shown ample control. Even in the slog overs, Mukesh has landed his yorkers in the right areas more often than his counterparts.
Mukesh’s final over in the first T20I against Australia was magnificent. Tim David and Marcus Stoinis are among the most ferocious pace hitters in the game, but Mukesh nailed his yorkers precisely to restrict them. However, Mukesh can still work on bowling more hard lengths and shuffling his lengths rather than focusing on yorkers only.
However, Mukesh is still far from the first-choice pick and should do the job consistently to be in consideration. But he has definitely bowled better than Arshdeep and Krishna lately. Mukesh can operate well in the middle and slog overs, making him a better pick than Arshdeep and Krishna.
Avesh Khan has returned after a long time and bowled well in patches against Australia. However, he is not the same bowler who could cramp the batters with his pacy deliveries into the pitch. When Avesh rose to the occasion, he was an asset who had a massive potential to be an all-phase bowler.
Injuries didn’t help him, and since his return, Avesh’s bowling has been far from the best. In IPL 2023, Avesh picked up only eight wickets while leaking 9.76 runs per over. The most significant issue since his return has been a lack of consistency with lengths and ability to bowl according to the fields.
Remember when Avesh had massive control over his yorkers? That isn’t the case anymore. Avesh doesn’t rely on his hard lengths now, while his slower ones are fuller than usual, making them easy to hit.
Deepak Chahar has made a return, but unfortunately, he cannot be relied on as a trustworthy option, just like Avesh. In fact, his value mostly lies in the powerplay, but India have Mohammed Shami, who can do a similar job with more precision, and Shami is also a better death bowler than Chahar. Not to forget, Chahar is injury-prone and can crumble anytime.
Deepak barely bowled in the slog for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2023. Only 11.76% of his balls came in this phase, while Chahar conceded 13.25 runs per over. It’s hard to see him as a primary option in T20Is unless Shami is injured.
Umran Malik isn’t part of the setup because of his lack of accuracy. He has the pace, but his ability to land them in the right areas has made him vulnerable and easier to smash. Malik is not going to be back unless he does something outrageous in IPL next year.
With only a handful of matches left, India can’t afford to bring in a fresh face, either. It’s wise to stick with the same set of speedsters, but it’s arduous to find ideal backups for the regular starters. All the options available have their loopholes.
The performance in IPL will dictate how the squad shapes up for the T20 World Cup, but this is an area of concern for the Men in Blue. There have been seven pacers with at least five T20I innings for India this year, and four of them - Arshdeep Singh (9.09), Umran Malik (9.24), Shivam Dube (9.25) and Prasidh Krishna (11) - have an economy rate of more than 9. Arshdeep and Umran had a below-par IPL 2023, while Krishna didn’t feature in the league due to injury.
When India endured an embarrassing defeat against England in Adelaide last year, it exposed India’s lack of planning and quality backups in the absence of Bumrah. Mohammed Shami was directly slotted to feature in the World Cup despite not playing any T20I earlier in the year, indicating the temptation to pick players based on IPL performance. While the IPL performers must be considered for the T20I selections, they should have some international game time under their belt before reaching an event like the World Cup.
Jasprit Bumrah is as vulnerable as anyone, and India definitely need quality reserves. Even if he is fit, there will have to be some depth in the squad. India already have plenty of concerns in the T20I team, and if the pacers don’t improve themselves, things are only going to get stiff for everyone involved.
*Stats till IND vs AUS 3rd T20I
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