Short Pitched bowling and Indian batsmen are the flavor of the season. Anything connected to Team India gains maximum footage and TRPs and hence will linger longer. From former Pakistan players to current West Indies Captain to Champion West Indies batsman; everyone seems to be concerned about the 'shortcomings' of our 'short' players against 'short-pitched' bowling in this 'short' form of Cricket!
To make matters worse, we have public and official outcry against the private brawl in a St. Lucia Pub. Youngistan is known for the brash confidence and an understandable attraction towards good life. As long as they were doing well, none complained. The moment they lost, the daggers are out. The same people who carried these Demigods on their shoulders are now busy burning effigies.
Is this 'weakness' against short-pitched bowling unique to Indians? I beg to disagree. It gets highlighted only when an Indian batsman fails against short pitched stuff. If we look at International players, we have had South African batsman falling to the short ball many a times. Justin Langer, Simon Katich and even Rickey Ponting have been targeted by tall bowlers with short balls.
Even the short and frail Ajit Agarkar has got players like Damien Martin, Carl Hooper and Simon Katich out with short balls. Sri Lankan batmen have done well mostly in Sri Lanka and they were found wanting on English and Australian pitches time and again. Pakistan doesn't have a single batsman who can be called safe against short pitched bowling.
India have beaten Australia in Australia, South Africa in South Africa, West Indies in West Indies, England in England and New Zealand in New Zealand over the past five years. Apart from the all conquering Australians; only India, South Africa and England have done well playing away from home. All other teams have floundered on fast pitches. India have won some memorable wins on bounciest of pitches.
When Rahul Dravid was injured by a freak bouncer by the Bangladesh motor mouth Shahdat Hossain; he claimed, "We are targeting the weakness of batsmen like Sehwag and Dravid against bouncers". What a joke! Even minnows love to enjoy their 30 seconds of limelight at the cost of the Indians! India still hammered Bangladesh 2-0 in that series.
This in no way denies the problems Indian batsmen have while facing 'short pitched bowling'. The problem exists without an iota of doubt. But so is the case with most of the other teams. The problem in reality is with our bowling. We don't have someone who can bounce out opposition batsmen. When Srinath was raw and energetic, he had knocked down quite a few International batsmen with bouncers. Since then, we have seriously lacked in that energy. Ian Chappelle is right, India are a Team short on Champion Bowlers.
Zaheer is a very good bowler. But he lacks the bouncer to soften the batsmen and then the yorker to bowl them out. Ishant, RP, Srisanth and many others are on the Radar. But none has shown the kind of sustained aggression shown by the likes of Dale Steyn, Jerome Taylor, Mohammed Asif, Lasit Malinga or Dirk Nannes. If India have made it to the top of Test table, and are the No. 2 ODI team; it is because of these same batsmen and in spite of the 20 year old weakness!
Let us not get carried away by this defeat in the shortest form of Cricket. The shortcomings can be sorted out. No team in the world is comfortable playing against sustained and consistent short-pitched bowling. There are exceptions, but mostly this is a rule. We actually need more aggressive bowlers who can bounce out opponents. When the opponents know that they will get back as good as they give, the short pitched bowling will cease to haunt Indian batsmen.
Except Australia till the retirement of their Champion Players, no team has played more consistently than India in the longer formats of the game! Failure in ICC events and those defeats in all those finals are held against them. But we forget they entered so many finals and still figure in the upper part of the table in Tests and ODIs. Let us give them the credit for that and all the support they need during these moments of depression.
Let us not become 'short-sighted' by blaming and axing those players who should be the cream of Indian batting in future. Team India needs our support. Let the seniors and mentors spend a little more time with these boys and the boys will be men soon!
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