India's bowlers find much-needed thrift

On a 250 pitch, India need 300. On a 300 pitch, India need 350. Because of their famously profligate bowlers, goes the accepted wisdom. On the tour of New Zealand last year, after India had lost the one-day series, MS Dhoni had admitted that he did not know which fast bowlers he could take with him for India's World Cup title defence. For he had no confidence in anyone. He had even lamented about what he could have done if he had had the pace of someone like Varun Aaron. But if you bowl short and wide at 145 kph, as the Indians were doing then, it only disappears faster.

A year later, backed by dominating batting performances of course, India's attack has bowled them to successive big wins over Pakistan and South Africa, their toughest group opponents in the World Cup. They have used six bowlers in each game. Revealingly, none of them has gone at more than run a ball. All five frontline bowlers picked up at least a wicket against Pakistan. Four of them did so against South Africa, and Umesh Yadav was unfortunate not to strike, with a few edges flying over the wicketkeeper.

There has been little release provided by the Indian bowlers so far, in contrast to the Test series against Australia, where Ishant Sharma's patience and discipline were regularly frittered away by a lack of those virtues at the other end. When a batsman is dominating and his partner is struggling, he can at least try to keep the strike and score. A bowler in rhythm needs the pressure to be maintained from the opposite side of the pitch, otherwise batsmen can play him out and attack the other.

Refreshingly, India's bowlers have not allowed that in their first two games. Umesh has been at the batsmen with his pace; his deliveries have often hit the defensive bat hard while it is still on its way down. Mohammed Shami has been a lot more potent and tighter with the white ball than he was with the red. His bouncer to nail Younis Khan early must have been a sight for Indian batsmen used to the same treatment from Pakistan fast bowlers over the decades.

Mohit Sharma wasn't even supposed to play this World Cup originally, but he has been a superb third seamer. Mohit's natural length, marginally short of good, is difficult to drive on the up on these pitches with his usual accuracy, unlike back home in India. And while he may be the slowest of the three, he has used the short ball well, visible in the dismissal of Hashim Amla.

"Mohit has been really consistent with his line and length, which I feel is the key for him," Dhoni said. "He has that variation of pace. He uses the bounce so well. So far he has proved himself."

India's bowling against Amla was a good example of how disciplined and focused they have been. Amla likes to stay beside the line of deliveries and punch them through the off side. He can walk across to the same ones and whip them through midwicket. But India had a man at short midwicket, and seemed to be bowling according to how Amla shuffled in the crease. He could not get going, and was forced to hook a bouncer with a man at deep square leg.

The role of the spinners has been crucial, too. Ravindra Jadeja went for a few late runs against Pakistan, but played his part in tying South Africa down. It is the performance of R Ashwin that has stood out. Ahmed Shehzad and Haris Sohail had worked up a partnership when Ashwin came on. The offspinner had played only once during the preceding tri-series as India tried various combinations. He started with a maiden. His third over was a wicket-maiden, with the left-handed Sohail caught at slip with a classical offbreak. It was the only wicket for Ashwin in that match, but its importance, and the offspinner's approach, was not lost on Virat Kohli.

"He is a very skillful bowler, and I think he's at his best when he wants to take wickets, and he was really aggressive in that game," Kohli said. "And those maidens were game changers to be honest. He got only, what, one wicket, but the way he bowled was absolutely outstanding, especially when you take into consideration you have five fielders in the ring and their spinners could not contain us so much. He will be a key factor for us as long as he can be in that same mindset that he was in the first game, which is to take wickets and be on top of the batter."

Taking wickets is the way to go in this World Cup, Misbah-ul-Haq had said earlier during the tournament. For it is hard to stop batsmen otherwise on these grounds. Australian outfields are usually too big for twos and threes to be kept down, while New Zealand ones are often too small for the boundaries to be cut off. When India head to New Zealand, the size of the outfields will be a bigger worry for Zimbabwe and Ireland, but for now, and for once, Dhoni won't be fretting too much over his bowlers.