Exorcising death overs ghosts

Raipur, November 30

India’s young bowling unit will look to better its death overs performance while utilising Glenn Maxwell’s absence to its advantage in the fourth T20I of their five-match series here tomorrow.

India’s second-string bowling attack crumbled in the last two overs in the third T20I as the bowlers failed to defend 40-plus runs.

There is a possibility of a minor tweak in the Indian line-up after Prasidh Krishna gave away 68 runs in four overs, including 21 in the final over.

Deepak Chahar is back in the mix and his ability to move the new ball could see him start along with death overs specialist Mukesh Kumar, who is back after a one-match break.

Both Prasidh and Avesh Khan lack variety and innovation as they keep pitching the ball at the same length. They consistently pitch it back of the length and the nature of the Indian tracks makes it too easy for batters to put it away.

Also not being able to use variations like conventional or wide yorkers has been their undoing as they didn’t execute slower deliveries properly.

The 23-year-old leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been the pick of the bowlers, having grabbed six wickets at an average of 19.66.

Bishnoi credited skipper Suryakumar Yadav for giving the bowlers a “free hand”.

“As a captain, Surya bhai gives you a free hand, he gives you all the right to place the fielders, the length that you want to bowl but you have to deliver in your execution,” said Bishnoi. “He has been doing great captaincy in last 2-3 matches.”

In the batting line-up, Shreyas Iyer’s comeback means Tilak Varma could be benched as five others — Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar and finisher Rinku Singh — have been playing their roles to perfection.

India will also look to exploit the absence of a marauding Maxwell, who pulled off a heist to single-handedly bring Australia back into the series in a last-ball thriller in Guwahati. The likes of Steve Smith and Adam Zampa not figuring in the line-up will only add to India’s confidence.

Cricket Australia released many of its top players midway into the series keeping in mind their workload and fitness ahead of the T20 World Cup.

India’s bowlers will probably be bowling to players such as Tim David, Josh Philippe and big-hitter Ben McDermott, a far better proposition at the moment than Maxwell. However, they will still have to contend with Travis Head and the seasoned Matthew Wade, who is leading the side in the ongoing series.

The reinforcements have already joined the Australian squad and are available for the penultimate match of the series that started barely three days after their triumphant World Cup campaign. — PTI

Iyer will make a big impact: Bishnoi

Raipur: Shreyas Iyer (in pic) brings a huge reputation as a T20 batter and is poised to make a big impact in the remaining two games of the five-match series, said leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Designated vice-captain Iyer will be back in action after being rested for the first three matches as India will have another shot to seal the series. “It will make a big impact in our batting line-up,” Bishnoi said during the pre-match press conference. Iyer amassed 530 runs in 11 matches of the recent ODI World Cup. “He brings a lot of reputation in T20 cricket and has been in good form in the World Cup. As a senior player his experience will also help us,” he said. PTI

Dew factor

Raipur: Like in Guwahati, dew could again have a say in the evening and the captain winning the toss should probably choose to bat second. So far, the conditions has been a nightmare for the bowlers with five 200-plus totals in six innings, and the trend is expected to continue in the remainder of the rubber. “We try to practice with wet bowls. I have done well in the last two matches despite the dewy conditions. I try not to give loose deliveries. If a batsman goes for a shot then it is okay, but if I bowl loose balls, that is not acceptable to me,” leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi said.

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