Bowlers Playing Huge Role in Indian Cricket Team’s wins

By: Drcricket7 Staff

At a time when the entire world is talking about Hardik Pandya’s exploits with the ball in the epic last over against Bangladesh that saw the Indian Cricket Team winning the World T20 2016 league match by a solitary run in Bangalore.

India’s strike bowlers, Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah, too played huge roles like the spinners to get the desired result. In fact, the match would have gone till the last ball nail-biting finish, if these two pacers would have produced great spells in the death overs during Bangladesh’s chase.

By the time 14th over ended, Bangladesh were cruising towards victory. No one in the wildest of dream would have thought about India winning the match. Because their opponent just needed 48 runs off just 36 deliveries with five wickets in hand.

In short, a cake-walk looked evident from outside. But from inside the field, the Indian captain MS Dhoni didn’t see it as a missed opportunity. He saw a light at the end of the tunnel if India could fight till the end. To see that happening, India bowlers had to be in top gear to restrict Bangladesh.

Veteran Nehra, who had two overs left in his spell, was entrusted with a role to lead from the front. As luck would have it, he gave away only five runs to Bangladesh in the 15th over. The momentum shifted slightly towards India as Bangladesh still needed another 43 off 30 balls.

In the next over, India conceded another nine runs and following that, Bumrah delivered a very effective spell with some heart-stopping workers which cost India only seven runs. The match was reduced an equation where Bangladesh need 27 runs from 18 deliveries.

The 18th over also saw some real drama on the field when Soumya Sarkar was dismissed by Nehra, who was hit for two fours. The pressure was back on the hosts and Bumrah was ready to target the block-hole in the pen-ultimate over which resulted Bangladesh only getting six runs, needing another 11 off the last over. In the end, they could only manage nine runs and gifted India with a one-run win.

Being the senior statesman Nehra also a part of the strategy along with Dhoni that instructed Pandya to deliver a back of length last ball of the match. While Bumrah showed great presence of mind by doing the basics right.

The rest they say is history. Pandya’s last wonder ball was able to beat the Bangladesh bat and Dhoni ran like Usain Bolt to steal a run out.

Not to forget that both Ravichandran Ashwin, the man of the match, and Ravindra Jadeja were superb with their approach and was able to deliver a very tight spell in the middle-overs.

Most importantly, they both took two wickets apiece and kept Bangladesh’s batsmen guessing. In comparison, the bowling figures of Nehra, Bumrah and Pandya didn’t look as impressive as it should have. But most certainly, they were the match-winners who helped India live to fight another day!