Deviation a bowler's best weapon

As Virat Kohli majestically whipped the Australian bowlers all over the stadium in Mohali, it was hard not to have some sympathy for the leather flingers.

However, bowlers often contribute to their own problems in T20 cricket by asking the question: "What delivery am I going to bowl?"

Perhaps the better question is: "What is my aim with this next delivery?" Not, shall I direct it at leg- or off stump or into the blockhole, but rather, "What is the purpose of this delivery?"

Am I trying to get the batsman out, or just contain him? Am I setting him up for a follow-up delivery?

Once a bowler makes up his mind about that, the field placings take shape more easily. It helps a captain place the field when he knows what a bowler is thinking.

Where possible, the aim should be to dismiss the batsman. However, in the helter-skelter of short-form cricket, this is easily forgotten by a mind that is racing at the same pace as the run rate is escalating.

One reason why Kohli is such a successful batsman is his precise placement. He takes fewer risks than most other batsmen because he is hitting the ball along the ground more often, confident in his ability to find the gaps and consequently the boundary. Like all great batsmen, it's this confidence in his ability to miss fielders that sets him apart from even the good players.

With batsmen now wielding lethal weapons, deviation in any form - through the air or off the pitch - is a bowler's best ally. Anything that moves the delivery away from the middle of those tree trunks has to help. It's no longer enough to bowl a slower ball - the best players pick those out of the hand - it also has to deviate to cause a mistimed shot.

I'm reminded of the words of two of the best bowlers I ever faced. It was Indian offspinner Erapalli Prasanna advising a young bowler on the subtlety of flight, who said: "It's not an invitation to be hit into the grandstand. It's encouraging the batsman to loft into the outfield."

Prasanna's aim was to deceive the batsman and have the ball hit high on the blade so the shot had more elevation than distance. The great West Indies fast bowler Andy Roberts was a believer in changing up not down. Roberts, without any discernible change in action, could surprise a batsman with a quicker delivery, which is harder to play than the slower change of pace.

Currently legspinners are a success in T20 cricket. They have several advantages when batsmen are trying to clear the boundary; the good ones tend to curve the ball in the air before making it deviate off the pitch. Then there's the mystery of whether it's the stock delivery or a wrong'un or the one that skids straight on. They are also more likely to be bowling for a wicket than a containing spinner would, and that's a better mindset when batsmen are being overly aggressive.

Samuel Badree is a good leggie who bowls in the difficult Powerplay overs and has great success with a simple plan. He bowls at the stumps in order to keep the fear in a batsman's mind that missing the ball is fatal. He doesn't offer anything remotely near a half-volley that is easily lofted over the boundary, but he's also not short enough that he can be pounded off the back foot. His subtle variations add to the guessing game going on in the batsman's mind.

Bowling to close out an innings is another task fraught with danger. Where a constant stream of yorkers used to do the trick, batsmen are now moving about and inventing shots, so it's hard to pin them down. Nevertheless, a good yorker is still effective, particularly if it threatens the stumps, and in a tight finish, a dot-ball wicket is priceless.

Whatever choice a bowler makes, it's best if it involves some deviation. A ball hitting anywhere near the middle of the modern bat has only one destination - beyond the boundary.

When the likes of Kohli are on the rampage, some might even suggest the power of prayer. The recently departed champion Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff had an answer to that suggestion: "In Spain all 22 players make the sign of the cross before a game; if it worked, every game would be a tie."

The way Kohli demolished Australia, they would have settled for a tie. Mind you, that wouldn't have been a great result - then someone would have had to face Kohli in a Super Over showdown.