Who would form this new bowling line up ? As mohitdude said - the guys need proper guidance and a good coach, instead of being discarded after one series for a new set of bowlers who will eventually end up like the current crop
Not the present crop of bowlers for sure. I am all for guidance and coaching, but it must be done at the domestic level. This learn and make it up as you go along attitude cannot work at Int'l level. Its not that the Int'l stage is bereft of learning opportunities, but its definitely not the place where a bowler has to learn to bowl line and lenght, to not bowl too short, or in ODIs to bowl yorkers. Those things must already be in a bowlers bag of basic skills when he plays Int'l cricket.
In the case of Indian bowlers its these basic skills that they have totally failed to demonstrate. They have no clue what the right length to bowl is, or if they know, then they have no idea how to execute it, have consistently bowled too short, on both sides of the wicket, making it impossible to set a field, and have not bowled good deliveries enough to take wickets on a regular basis. The odd good delivery every 5 overs is not going to get you too many wickets at the Int'l level.
I am all for providing them a good support staff, but the basics of bowling they must already know. They cannot come here with just one skillset, and then learn things there. All our bowlers have one skillset, Umesh and Varun - Pace, no clue about line and length, bowl short and on both sides of the wicket. Md. Shami - Can reverse swing the ball, but then again, bowls short too often, and on both sides. Ishant - I don't even know what his skillset is, but he has the same problems as everyone else.
They need to go back to domestic cricket or the Pace Foundation, and get their act together.
Last year in SA we had to build a totally new team. We had no openers, no middle order, except Kohli and Pujara we had high hopes from, and no fixed bowling unit. One year later after a tough test run, we definitely have one opener, perhaps have found a second too in Rahul we will wait and see, though. Kohli has proven himself, Rahane has stepped up. Pujara we know will get there. Sure we lost one of the most successful wicket keepers in test cricket ever, with the 5th highest ever dismissal in history, but I dont think a keeper will be that hard to find.
However where has our bowling gone. Its gone totally backwards. Ashwin did have a good last test, but he has been largely ineffective. Bhuvi has looked excellent when the conditions have helped, but I guess that is true of all bowlers. All said and done, he is the only one who has at any point in this run, looked excellent, albeit on the back of helpful conditions.
Ishant, yes there was that spell at Lord's and for that he should never again have to buy drinks in India for the rest of his life. However all the signs that Ishant, was coming around in Eng, was thrown away in Aus. He looked like he could barely get into an Aus domestic side, let along be playing Int'l cricket.
Md. Shami yes there was the 5 wicket haul, but there are match winning/changing 5 wicket hauls, and then there are 5 wicket hauls the kind that Shami took. Barely even left a footnote in the match. Has not performed in this entire run, and needs to be dropped. Umesh and Varun, need some serious work. I think Varun's delivery to get Moen Ali bowled, was the ball of the Indian Test Run. However Umesh and Varun need to be given some guidance, but it cannot be at the highest level. They need to get their bowling sorted first.
When one lot fails, then naturally the next lot has to be given a run. Which means bring on the Mohit Sharm's and Dhawal Kulkarni's of the world.
