Mohammed Shami’s form with the ball in the last two matches of the World Cup has surprised many. He was inconsistent and was hardly pitching the ball in right areas. Even when the selectors picked the team for the World Cup, he was more or less certain to be selected in the 15-member squad but there was no surety whether he would be able to make it to the playing XI.
In between, Indian captain adopted his tried and tested method and gave the new ball to Stuart Binny in some matches. Till that time, no one had a clue what kind of role Shami would be playing in the World Cup. It was only Dhoni who kept his plan under the wrap and drew flak after India failed to beat England and play the final match of the tri-series against Australia. But when India arrived in Adelaide to play against Pakistan, Dhoni unleashed his pace battery.
All three Indian pacers bowled at a rate of knots and Dhoni made full use of the resources available to him. “Right now, the opponent should respect Indian bowling the way they performed in the last two matches. We have bowlers who have speed and the teams should make a note of it,” a proud team director Ravi Shastri said after India defeated South Africa by 130 runs in front of a full-house at the MCG on Sunday.
What stands out in India’s bowling attack is not so much about an individual performance; it’s all about building partnerships. From what has happened so far, if Mohit Sharma created pressure, it was Shami or Umesh Yadav who took the wickets. In the spin department, if it was Ravindra Jadeja who contained free flow of runs from the oppositions’ bat, R Ashwin made merry.
It was a team effort, which saw some miraculous performances from the bowlers. Probably, this is the biggest turn-around story in recent times. Credit must be given to Dhoni for standing solidly behind Shami & Co. “He always has confidence on the players he picks. If someone has the ability, it will be tough to hide him from Dhoni,” a team insider added.
