Former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun discussed where the Men In Blue went wrong with the ball in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion and feels the Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah received insufficient support from the other end.
India was unable to put pressure on South African batters on conditions favour the bowler as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were the lone bright spot in the attack. Inexperienced Indian pacers Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur struggled with his line and length and could not execute this strategy effectively.
Speaking on Revsportz, Bharat Arun feels that India gave too many boundaries and that adapting to the circumstances is critical for bowlers. He also believes that Jasprit Bumrah bowled really well for the team in the first test but did not have enough help from the other end.
“There were far too many boundaries scored. Adapting your bowling to different conditions is crucial. If you are in good form, just awareness of the conditions is more than sufficient for you to adapt.”
“I think bowlers at international level should be able to adapt a lot more easily than bowlers who are just starting. With the experience that the Indian team has, I think we should have adapted. Bumrah bowled exceptionally well but the rest of them, I don’t think they supported him much the way they should have,” Bharat Arun said.
Despite the efforts of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin, India was unable to limit the runs as the Prasidh-Siraj-Thakur combination did not perform well. Without Mohammed Shami, India gave Prasidh Krishna his debut in red-ball cricket. While the lanky fast bowler possesses all the qualities to succeed at the Test level, he could not utilize the conditions in Centurion.
We Surrendered Meekly In The Second Innings – Bharat Arun
Bharat Arun heaped praise on KL Rahul’s ability to dig deep and lead his team to a strong first-inning total despite being against South Africa in the 1st innings but was disappointed with the manner India capitulated in the second innings (131), gifting South Africa a one-inning and 32-run victory.
“Well, to see India come back and [KL] Rahul get that century was quite happening. And there was quite a lot of help in the wicket for the bowlers. So we had a very, very positive feeling about the whole thing. And we thought that we could clearly make a Test match out of this.”
“I think winning or losing a Test match is okay. But I think the way we lost the last Test – we surrendered meekly in the second innings – is not a good feeling,” Bharat Arun added.
KL Rahul’s crucial knock of 101 runs in the 1st innings at Centurion’s SuperSport Park made him the first touring batsman to score consecutive centuries at the venue. On a pitch that offered seam and extra bounce for the pacers, the Indian Wicket-keeper batter’s innings helped India to post a competitive score of 245 runs.
