Lakshmipathy Balaji bowled magnificently without having the figures to show for it, as he has done all series, yet the back-up was indifferent to put it charitably. On that final day at Mohali – India's impotence then could yet cost them a series victory – both Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan had spells best consigned to the dustbin, and Pathan's subsequent displays, save for the sporadic threat, have not been in keeping with his status as India's first-choice new-ball bowler.
Balaji, who was tussling with Ashish Nehra for the third seamer's slot at the start of the series, has been a study in contrast, bowling with the rhythm and verve that were instrumental in India's crushing victory at Rawalpindi a year ago. The delivery that ended Inzamam's titanic effort first thing this morning was the best bowled in this series, a superb ball that swung in and then moved away to flummox a master batsman. He pitched his deliveries in line with the stumps and frequently got extravagant swing to beat the outside edge. There was even movement off this comatose pitch, and his spells were as incisive as Pathan's failed to be.
Ultimately, fast bowling in such wretched conditions is all about nous, and unstinting effort. Michael Kasprowicz arrived in India in 1998 about as callow as Balaji is now when it came to Test-match experience, and picked up only three wickets in the first four innings that he bowled. The fifth, on a Bangalore pitch that was similarly loaded in the batsmen's favour, was a revelation as Kasprowicz's cutters wrecked an Indian batting line-up that had been immense throughout the series.
Like Kasprowicz, Balaji is a cricketer's cricketer, as opposed to some hyped-up powder-puff loved by advertising conmen. His attitude is his greatest asset, and the manner in which he turned away and swore quietly at the sky before loping back to his mark after a catch had evaded second slip said all you need to know about the absence of a prima-donna gene in his make-up.
As Australia showed five months ago, wickets can be taken on pitches such as this, if you have the calibre of bowler to execute a plan. But on a surface crying out for impeccable line, changes in pace and cutters, only Balaji threatened to do a McGrath or Kasprowicz.
Balaji has bowled wonderfully well throughout the series. He is bowling like a seasoned veteran, who knows how to bowl on these pitches, rather than a rookie in his second season. His line and length has been very good, mostly in the corridor. He gets movement both in the air and off the seam. On these flat tracks, with a very sloppy slip fielding cordon, he has returned terrific figures. He deserves as much praise as we can give him, and more. Personally, I have enjoyed his bowling more than any other seamer on either side because of the nuances he puts into it. There is always something - the ball always poses some question to the batsman.
The ball that got Inzy lbw was a very good one, especially to bowl first up. But IMHO, he bowled a couple of deliveries later which were even better, and beat the edge (as they say, sometimes you need to be a great batsman to get out to some deliveries). These were the ones that were angled in, and swung out late to beat the edge.
What has angered me the most about the whole thing is how sloppy our slip cordon has been. Here is a 23 year old kid, bowling his heart out in the heat and on flat tracks. And our slips drop catches with routine efficiency. This is just not on. Each of Dravid, VVSL and Sehwag have dropped catches off Balaji's bowling.
I think most people would agree that Balaji's bowling has been the single biggest positive for India in this series. The other successes were more or less expected, but this one has come against the odds in conditions not suited for him.
Balaji has bowled wonderfully well throughout the series. He is> bowling like a seasoned veteran, who knows how to bowl on these> pitches, rather than a rookie in his second season. His line and> length has been very good, mostly in the corridor. He gets> movement both in the air and off the seam. On these flat tracks,> with a very sloppy slip fielding cordon, he has returned terrific> figures.
First test, it is true. The next three innings are bad to worse. I know he bowled very well in those innings, missed quite a few wickets to dropped catches and bowled some wicket taking deliveries. But statistics wise it doesn't look good.
He deserves as much praise as we can give him, and more. > Personally, I have enjoyed his bowling more than any other seamer> on either side because of the nuances he puts into it. There is> always something - the ball always poses some question to the> batsman. >
The ball that got Inzy lbw was a very good one, especially to bowl> first up. But IMHO, he bowled a couple of deliveries later which> were even better, and beat the edge (as they say, sometimes you> need to be a great batsman to get out to some deliveries). These> were the ones that were angled in, and swung out late to beat the> edge. >
What has angered me the most about the whole thing is how sloppy> our slip cordon has been. Here is a 23 year old kid, bowling his> heart out in the heat and on flat tracks. And our slips drop> catches with routine efficiency. This is just not on. Each of> Dravid, VVSL and Sehwag have dropped catches off Balaji's bowling.
And the missed catches in Pak on that last day of the last test match.
Takeiteasy.
I think most people would agree that Balaji's bowling has been the> single biggest positive for India in this series. The other> successes were more or less expected, but this one has come> against the odds in conditions not suited for him.>
"Cricketwallah" <cricketwallah@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:1111780896.180420.23710@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com... And Sami is> one of those wonderful bowlers who is extremely talented,> obvious talent to everyone, 90+mph speed, outswing, inswing,> bouncer, everything... just never takes any wickets. Sort> of like the Pakistani Agarkar.
even on that pitch Sami bowled a terrific spell at the> start of the Indian second innings, and a good spell on the> morning of D4 - and both were much better spells, for example,> than Balaji has bowled probably.>
Sadiq,
Agree with your analysis except for the part about Sami. Sami is perhaps the most overrated pace bowler out there. He *had* outswing, inswing etc, but has not had it for almost 2 years now. In this series he has hardly been able to move the ball. As far as his pace, it is high 80s, which sis good, but not good enough to get wickets on its own at this level. He also has lost the confidence to bowl the yorker with any regularity (which is why the wicket of Gambhir in I2 was a bit of a surprise to all).
As regards his spell on D4, I dont think it was that great. I dont count bowling short 6/6 as great bowling. Yes, our batsmen didnt have an answer to it because we dont pull or hook with any conviction. But the same bowling to an Aussie lineup would have been murdered IMHO.
IMHO Sami has not bowled a single good spell in this series. A few good overs maybe, but not a consistently probing spell.
"Cricketwallah" <cricketwallah@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:1111780896.180420.23710@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
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basically crap seamers too, other than Sami. And Sami is> one of those wonderful bowlers who is extremely talented,> obvious talent to everyone, 90+mph speed, outswing, inswing,> bouncer, everything... just never takes any wickets. Sort> of like the Pakistani Agarkar. As an Agarkar-fan that was> extremely frustrating for a long time; but as a watcher> of Sami in this series its loads of fun (every time he
Your post lost all credibility after this comparison.
All you folks, you heard it here first from Sadiq, "Sami == Pakistani Agarkar".
