Cricket: Does India need to look for batters who can bowl?

In modern Indian cricket, batters who can bowl are becoming increasingly rare. Indian teams used to frequently have part-time bowlers who batted in the top order. In light of the two upcoming white ball competitions (ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023 and T20 World Cup in 2024) the question of whether or not India should consider hitters who can also bowl some overs emerges. We’ll examine whether India needs to look at hitters who can bowl a few overs in this article.

How do batters who can bowl help India?

There aren’t many top-order batters who can bowl a few overs in the current Indian limited-overs lineup. India used 5 batters who were unable to bowl any overs in the last One-Day International they played in March 2023. Players like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Suryakumar Yadav all play exclusively as batsmen. Three all-rounders players—Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel played that game. The three starting bowlers—Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami—were used during the game.

The bowling department suffers when three all-rounders are used to fill the 4th and 5th bowler quotas. The three all-rounders mentioned above have likewise struggled to consistently deliver.

Here is a review of their ODI stats since 2021.

Ravindra Jadeja

One of the Indian team’s most seasoned players is Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder who bowls spin only has 115 runs in five innings since 2021. The left-handed batter has had trouble recently, as evidenced by his low strike rate of just 57.50 in ODIs since 2021 and his average of 38.33. In 28 overs with the ball in hand, he has only claimed three wickets. His economy is good because he only allows 4.21 Runs Per Over (RPO) to be scored. He cannot be the team’s fifth or sixth batter based on his batting statistics, and he cannot be India’s fourth bowler based on his bowling records.

Hardik Pandya

During this time, Hardik Pandya played in 17 games. He has batted in 14 innings and scored 417 runs. His strike rate (103.47) and batting average (29.78) are also below average. Pandya is seen as a finisher in the Indian lineup, but if he is to play that position, his strike rate must increase. In 15 innings, the all-around quick bowler picked up 17 wickets. For India, the number of overs (84) he has bowled since 2021 has been quite beneficial. In contrast to his bowling average of 28.94, his economy is 5.85 RPO. He has the potential to be a fifth or sixth bowler, but he needs to significantly improve his batting, particularly his strike rate.

Axar Patel

Axar Patel is relatively new to the Indian system compared to Jadeja and Pandya. Since 2021, he has played in 13 games and has already amassed 231 runs. In recent years, India has benefited from his batting. His strike rate of 112.68 and 33 batting average are both significant positives for India. Although he has also taken 13 wickets during this time, his economy rate is undoubtedly the biggest plus. He only gives up 4.88 RPO per game. Given the Indian conditions that will benefit his bowling in the ODI World Cup, he can be viewed as a player who can play as the fifth batsman and bowl 10 overs as well.

Tendulkar, Sehwag and Ganguly

In the past, players with dual abilities to bowl and bat in the top order included Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, and Sourav Ganguly. Tendulkar had a 5.1 RPO economy while taking 154 wickets in 270 innings. Sehwag had a 5.26 economy rate while taking 96 wickets in 146 innings. In 171 innings, Ganguly grabbed 100 wickets at a 5.06 economy rate.

The potential players in the Indian setup?

The only person who could play the part of a top-order batter who bowls some overs is Shreyas Iyer. Iyer has undoubtedly been one of India’s top players with the bat. The right-handed batter has scored 824 runs since 2021.  When fit, he becomes an automatic pick due to his consistency with the bat. His batting average is 48.47 throughout this time. He has also given bowling a shot. Since 2021, he has only bowled 4.1 overs at a 5.76 RPO economy.

Possible Team Combination

Suryakumar Yadav from the last ODI’s playing XI can be replaced by Shreyas Iyer when he rejoins the ODI setup. The trio of all-rounders Jadeja, Patel, and Pandya can all be incorporated into the playing lineup if Iyer can consistently bowl 3–4 overs with an economy of less than 6 RPO, provided Jadeja and Pandya improve their batting. Only two of the three all-rounders can play in the starting XI if Iyer fails to bowl three to four overs, with the third player being substituted by someone like Deepak Chahar or Shardul Thakur.

Also Read: Does India Need To Look Away From 3 Format Players?

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