Team India experimented with a few rarely utilized bowling options in their last group-stage match of the 2023 World Cup against the Netherlands at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Rohit Sharma had plenty of room to work with after reaching more than 400 off the back of hundreds from Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. As the audience chanted his name, he called in Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, and ultimately himself to relieve the specialist bowlers.
Since Hardik Pandya’s ankle injury in the game against Bangladesh, India has been playing with five bowlers. While Mohammed Shami’s blistering form since replacing Shardul Thakur in the starting XI has helped to cover the holes left by Hardik’s injury, they may be forced to turn to one of their part-timers in the semifinals and maybe the finals.
If India requires a sixth bowler, who should be their top choice?
Virat Kohli, unorthodox and unpredictable, might be the best option for India
When it comes to part-time bowling opportunities, there are two apparent front-runners. Kohli and Rohit, two of India’s most visible batsmen, may also be the team’s finest two part-timers.
Suryakumar threw the ball up against the Netherlands and was walloped for two sixes. Despite the fact that he wasn’t especially remarkable despite getting hit, the Men in Blue can’t afford to have their part-timers fly the ball and try to mislead hitters via the air.
Suryakumar has bowled in only 18 of his 137 List A games, recording six wickets at a 5.36 economy rate. He has also only bowled in one ODI, against the Netherlands.
Gill, on the other hand, has only bowled in two of his 97 List-A games. Even on the domestic circuit, he has not taken a wicket in any of the three forms he has played. Furthermore, the opening didn’t appear very dependable versus the Netherlands, pulling many down and escaping without additional punishment.
Five ODI wickets and four T20I wickets are among Kohli’s totals. Prominent figures including as Brendon McCullum, Quinton de Kock, and Alastair Cook have all left his team.
More significantly, Kohli provides something unconventional and unpredictable, enhancing India’s chances of forcing a mistake from the opposing batsman. Despite his lack of speed and control, the 35-year-old being thrown the ball is an event in and of itself, one that will invariably raise a few eyebrows among hitters.
On a per-skill basis, Rohit is most likely the finest part-timer in the Indian XI. The captain can turn the ball and is also reasonably precise. As pundits frequently point out, he has an IPL hat-trick to his record, in addition to nine ODI wickets.
Rohit is also the quartet’s most experienced List A bowler. He could’ve been a regular all-rounder with 31 scalps at an economy rate of 5.11 if he had continued to concentrate on that talent.
Rohit has suffered with finger and shoulder ailments, which have limited his bowling abilities, but if he is working on it in the nets, he is India’s most traditionally good option.
Bowling Gill or Suryakumar does not appear to be a safe bet. Kohli and Rohit, the team’s elder players, look to be the best choices.