Shubman Gill got a chance to roll his arms in the ODI series opener against Sri Lanka.
Notably, opening batter Shubman Gill got a chance to roll his arms in the ODI series opener against Sri Lanka, which ended in a thrilling tie.
Even though Gill conceded 14 runs in his lone over, Bahutule said it will be the way forward.
“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. But they have the skills,” said Bahutule in the post-match press conference.
On the other hand, Sri Lankan skipper and premier batter Charith Asalanka delivered 8.5 overs in the first ODI and returned with the figures of 3/30, including the wickets of Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh in successive deliveries to pull off a tie from the jaws of defeat.
Bahutule cited the example of Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh bowling in the T20I series against Sri Lanka to validate his point.
“You might have seen in the T20Is…Rinku and Surya contributed with the ball. So, an opportunity was given to Shubman 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,” he explained.
Reflecting on India’s batting performance in the opening ODI, Bahutule said the visitors could have tried to forge better partnerships.
“To have a tie in ODI is always exciting. 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,” he said.
Bahutule acknowledged that the Sri Lankan spinners exploited the Colombo pitch brilliantly. “I think the nature of the pitch and the way they bowled…Hasaranga and Asalanka executed their skills very well.
“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.”
Bahutule said the team should have capitalised on the blazing start given by skipper Rohit Sharma (58 off 47 balls).
“The start given by Rohit was fantastic, and at one stage it looked like we wouldn't lose too many wickets. 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.
“It didn’t look like there was a break. He takes on the responsibility, sets the tone against any opposition, any pace attack. He is very positive in his intent.”
Bahutule also rued that the hosts managed to add a few extra runs after being reduced to 142/6 at one stage.
“They had a partnership after we got them down to 160 for six, maybe we could have got them for 15-20 runs less. But overall, I think the bowlers did well. Arshdeep and Siraj began well and Shivam bowled well on a wicket which was slightly helpful to the spinners.
“I think spinners – Washi, Axar and Kuldeep – contributed well. To restrict them to 230 was, I think, a good effort,” he added.
The second ODI of the three-match series will be played in Colombo on Sunday (August 4).
(With PTI Inputs)