It didn't need the wisdom of Mahendra Singh Dhoni to figure out that India's bowling at the death needs to sort itself out, and quickly. Right through the one-day series in England, India's bowlers struggled to keep the opposition in check in the last ten or so overs. Despite a slight change in personnel, the malaise has spilled over to the Twenty20 World Cup as well.
Against Pakistan at Kingsmead on Friday, India conceded 48 runs in the last four overs, only managing to tie a game that was clearly in their pocket. On Sunday at the Wanderers, the damage was even more comprehensive, the result much more disastrous. Overs 16 through 20 yielded a whopping 78 runs as New Zealand converted a middling 112 for five in 15 overs to a commanding 190, one of the key reasons for India's 10-run defeat in their opening Super Eight fixture.
Dhoni made an important observation in the aftermath of the defeat, “It is an area, bowling at the death, that we definitely have to improve.” Then, more tellingly, he added, “It is the responsibility of every individual — specialists or part-timers, depending on the conditions — to come up with performances that the team wants from them.” Perhaps an indication that we haven't seen the last of Yuvraj, or even Virender Sehwag, bowling in the slog.
Fanie de Villiers was outstanding both first up, as well as towards the end when the heat is on. The former South African paceman was an epitome of parsimony, and when he speaks about bowling at the death, you can rest assured that he knows what he is saying. De Villiers is of the opinion that the Indians bowl too straight. “You always need to stay one step ahead of the batsmen, you need to bowl more than just full length,” he said.
De Villiers never tried his hand at Twenty20, but the basics of bowling in the slog remain the same. “You have bowl on one side of the wicket and pack that side of the field. I would have bowled straight and full outside the off-stump, making the batsman play on one side. I would pack the off-side field and have a fine-leg and backward square-leg to slip an odd full length ball on the leg-stump.”
De Villiers was quick to add that a lot of thought had to go into the variations employed. “Just bowling slower balls to change up the pace is not enough. Change of pace comes into play when the batsman starts moving in the crease. Batsmen are used to slower balls now, so you need at least two different kinds of slower balls to keep them in check. To keep batsmen guessing, you must use the crease, both backwards and sideways. Sometimes, you have to bowl from behind the crease to make the change of pace more effective.” Tips from the master, but are the students listening?