New Delhi: As England batsmen once again piled on the runs on Day 2 of the Birmingham Test, it becomes imperative to ask what went wrong with India's bowling. How they were so ineffective in the seam-friendly English conditions? And how their counterparts, under the same conditions, were able to bowl exceptionally well while they were clobbered all around the ground?
Almost all the England bowlers took full advantage of their height for bowling with fierce pace. They mostly pitched the ball up and occasionally bowled short, but doing both with equal precision. Needless to say about their plans for every Indian batsman, they got most of their wickets by pitching the ball full, thus giving it enough chance to do something, both off the pitch and in the air.
Praveen Kumar appeals unsuccessfully on the second day of the third Test against England at Edgbaston
They used the short ball mostly to surprise the batsmen, and it was the follow up full-length delivery that took the wickets on most occasions. Whether it's James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan or Chris Tremlett, they all are muscular than any of the Indian bowlers which gives them a few miles more than their counterparts. And when right length mixes up with extra pace in seaming conditions, the end result is an unplayable delivery.
Indian bowlers, on the other hand, bowled well in patches. If they started in a bright fashion early on the day, their performance became duller as the day progressed.
Praveen Kumar and S Sreesanth both bowled well within themselves when the day started. They pitched the ball in the right areas, asking questions. But both erred in line and length when English batsmen took them on.
Ishant Sharma, who was extremely successful in the second innings of the Lord's Test by pitching the ball full to the batsmen, was way short at most times on Thursday. He was treated with utter disdain, first by Ian Bell and later by Kevin Pietersen.
The other two batsmen, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, too, opened their arms whenever they were offered loose deliveries, the percentage of which increased with each session.
Amit Mishra, the leg-spinner who came into the side for Harbhajan Singh, was as disappointing as his senior teammate. He either bowled halfway down the pitch or kept it too full and was hit for runs either ways. And the number of no-balls that he bowled did not help his cause.
The tiring Indian fielders, who dropped as many as three catches in England's first innings, did not help the Indian bowlers cause either.
Rahul Dravid dropped a sitter off Ian Bell in the second slip, while Sachin Tendulkar could not spot a mistimed Cook stroke latter in the day. Sreesanth, while fielding at 'point', dropped a dolly of Eoin Morgan.
Yes, they have been travelling and bowling non-stop for the last few months, but giving no contest to the opposite team is surely not expected of them.
