Although the majority of Indian batsmen failed miserably in the five-Test series against England, bowlers’ performance has been one silver lining for the No.1 ranked Test team.
After Indian bowlers claimed 60 wickets in three Tests against South Africa earlier this year, they picked up 20 wickets in three of the five Tests in England. Out of the 82 wickets taken by Indian bowlers in England, the pacers have shared 61 scalps with Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Umesh Yadav claiming 18, 16, 14, 10 and 3 wickets respectively.
However, the fast bowlers looked exhausted in the penultimate day of the Test series. The bowling attack also looked depleted as Ishant left the field due to an ankle problem. Sharma’s absence meant extra workload on other pacers but Shami took the responsibility and bowled his heart out.
Although Shami was wicketless in the first innings and took only two wickets in the second essay, he made the life uncomfortable for almost every English batsman.
Talking about his success on this English trip, Shami said watching the videos of England’s James Anderson and Stuart Broad proved to be helpful coming into the series.
“We got to learn a lot. When I came in 2014, I was not this experienced or mature. This time I watched a lot of videos of Anderson and Broad, which areas they bowl, especially in England conditions,” Shami quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
“As you saw, compared to the last time, we were far better. We learnt, especially when you are playing in someone’s home ground, what they do, what you have to focus on. So, it was learning from them as well as gaining from the confidence of our own unit,” he added.
At one point during England’s second innings, the official broadcasters showed that Shami had beaten the bat 43 times in the match.
“Luck is also a factor. When you bowl with the new ball, your first priority is line and length. Luck also determines whether you get a wicket or not, but it is definitely frustrating. I say unlucky because I beat the bat so many times. It’s okay, you have to accept it,” Shami remarked.
He also said Ishant’s absence didn’t help the cause but pointed out that such injuries are part and parcel of the game.
“It’s tough when you are a bowler short as the load will be higher. But it’s (Ishant injury) not that serious. It happens sometimes, when a bowler feels discomfort he leaves the field to prevent aggravating the injury. It’s all about the understanding among us bowlers, that we can do it even if we are a bowler short,” Shami concluded.
