Pace them right!

Jasprit Bumrah. Pic/AFP

All-rounders are a crucial element of any cricket team. Their ability to contribute with both bat and ball makes the team look well-rounded. Team India too have a nice complement of four all-rounders that gives the team the right balance. Two of these four are pace bowlers and two are spinners, of which three players are likely to make the XI. It is to be seen if the team prefers two pace-bowling all-rounders and one spinner-batsman or any other combination depending on the conditions and strength of the opposition.

Tail must wag

The Indian team management has always been concerned about the depth of their batting, with numbers nine, 10 and 11 barely contributing with the bat. These days, teams expect every tailenders to make handy contributions as that can make a difference in close games.

After losing the T20I series in West Indies, coach Rahul Dravid was worried about the batting depth. "I think going forward, we've got to look at certain areas where we can get better. Finding depth in our batting has been an area we are trying to address. We are trying to do the best we can, but that's certainly an area we can look at, how we cannot weaken our bowling attack, but ensure we have a certain amount of depth in batting," he had said then.

To maintain the balance of the team, the management always turns to all-rounders.

Thus, vice-captain Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja walk into the XI, leaving Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel fighting for that third berth.

Also read: Silence before storm?

Dravid's concern

But Dravid had pointedly said, "We cannot weaken our bowling attack." And this is the dilemma the team is going to face, not only at this Asia Cup, but also in the World Cup. If the team goes in with only two main pace bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami or Mohammed Siraj, there will always be the need for a third frontline pacer and, both Hardik and Shardul, rarely complete their quota of 10 overs, usually sharing the quota of a fifth bowler.

Thus, in the long-drawn World Cup, where teams will have to play nine matches in varied conditions, India will have to be very judicious, not only with their pacers, but also with their all-rounders so as to keep them fresh and ensure they don't lose the sting in their bowling attack.

Ravichandran Ashwin who has been quite vocal on social media these days feels: "You don't want your tail to start so early, and that's why you need someone like Shardul Thakur to come and smash a few balls at No. 8. Also, if you need 36 to win from 30 balls when you are six down, you should have the ability to close down such games as well. So, that is the conundrum that India will go into ahead of the World Cup. If they play Kuldeep at No. 8, then the situation is not ideal for India in close games."

Captain Rohit Sharma has been constantly saying that the availability of multiple options "is a good headache to have," But there is always a dilemma when one has to choose the right combination because one wrong selection can prove fatal.