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[wasted_talent]

So Ishant has another nightmare in the last ODI. If you look at his stats as an ODI, they are average at best. Yet he continues to be picked. I dont believe India cannot have other seam alternatives they could pick. So is his continued selection a politcial one? Perhaps his one of the skippers "boys"? Whats people's views on him as an ODI bowler?

[Manormanic]

Reminds me of a Matthew Hogard type - more of Test match bowler, where he can bowl at the slips with some support in place.  In ODI's he lacks the variety (or sheer pace) to keep batsmen on their toes and skids on at a very nice pace to hit.

[wasted_talent]

Reminds me of a Matthew Hogard type - more of Test match bowler, where he can bowl at the slips with some support in place.  In ODI's he lacks the variety (or sheer pace) to keep batsmen on their toes and skids on at a very nice pace to hit.

Yeah I agree mate
Whats your view on alternatives? In a country so big, India must have other bowlers they can turn to and nuture for the World Cup?

[Gingerbusiness]

Praveen Kumar... The perfect 20/20 or limited overs seam bowler. I haven't seen an Indian swing the ball that much since Kapil Dev.

...but as seam bowlers, who have India really got? RP Singh? Dinda? Aaron? - there are some good, young seam bowlers coming through but in hard, fast conditions, Sharma should be deadly... He just isn't!

Though tbh, India scored 300+ on that wicket. I'm guessing it was playing like a road so maybe just very good batting by Faulkner. He would have targeted Sharma, and this time, it came off.

[Kieron_BT]

Whats happened to Umesh Yadav?

[Manormanic]

Yeah I agree mate
Whats your view on alternatives? In a country so big, India must have other bowlers they can turn to and nuture for the World Cup?

I'm no expert on Indian domestic cricket, but the little I've seen suggests that there is not a whole lot of pace out there, so they need to look for clever seamers - the two Kumar's - Praveen and Bhuvaneshwar - fit that bill, though they both have to bowl their overs at the front end of the innings as they are pop gun once the ball stops swinging.  Of the others, Yadav is probably the sharpest, so might be a decent bet as the third seamer, though there is a decent argument in most conditions for them to look toward 30 overs of spin!

[FattusCattus]

If I recall correctly, I don't think Sharmas average at Test level is that clever either.

[cleanbowled]

I think Ishant just doesn't really seem to learn. When he first came in, he was bowling in the 140s, and I recall on the Australian tour he got one up as high as 152. He is more in the 130-135 mark now, but that means that many of the deliveries he may have got away with before won't work. His bouncers just seem to sit up and beg to be smashed, and he dishes up way too many half volleys and length balls in the shorter forms of the game. I also don't think he really seems to make that much use of his height - his balls tend to skid on, whereas if you compare with other bowlers at his height, they can get it to bounce of a good length and bowl a heavier ball. Unfair comparison I know, but compare him to Glenn Mcgrath for example who was of similar pace and height.

I doubt if he played for anyone else in the top 3-4 teams he would have got anywhere near as many chances in all 3 forms of the game (his test average is very poor as well for someone with over 50 matches) which makes me think there may be some kind of partiality towards him for some reason, or maybe India just have a dearth of half decent medium pace or fast medium bowlers. Umesh Yadav seemed promising, so not sure what has happened with him. 

[Manormanic]

Sharma does have a natty little habit of producing very good spells - nowhere near often enough, I'll grant you - but with enough regularity that the powers that be, doubtless influenced by their overall lack of pace bowling depth, will stick with him in the hope that he develops a la Stuart Broad.

But that should be in the test game.  In ODIs and T20, he is as I noted before too one dimensional to threaten.

[Buzz]

who would want to be a quick bowler in an ODI in India...

if the Indian management want quicks they need to produce pitches with some life in them.

but given it is the batsmen in India who are treated like demi gods, there is about as much chance of that happening as Inshant ever being a bowler in the class of broad.

[03jaworf]

weren't Yadav coming through a little while ago?

[Manormanic]

but given it is the batsmen in India who are treated like demi gods, there is about as much chance of that happening as Inshant ever being a bowler in the class of broad.

Ah c'mon, Broad is pretty wonky a lot of the time! 

My point is more that Broad has gradually become less of a streak bowler and more or a day in day out leader of the attack type bowler over the last two to three seasons, when many people would have been very tempted to sideline him before that ever happened.  On whatever level, you wonder whether a similar thing is hoped for by the Indian selectors from Ishant - because he can bowl quickly and he can go on those runs as well - just look at some of his spells against the Aussies over the years.

[yogi206]

woeful, when watching it i was thinking Dhoni must be thinking "ok, blockhole this time........." and he bowls length ! 6!

[wasted_talent]

woeful, when watching it i was thinking Dhoni must be thinking "ok, blockhole this time........." and he bowls length ! 6!

that was the most striking thing for me, is he bowled just length and short, no variation. i understand you may also get hit off a variation but then u hold your hands up and say, well batted

but it was 6 very poor balls

[yogi206]

that was the most striking thing for me, is he bowled just length and short, no variation. i understand you may also get hit off a variation but then u hold your hands up and say, well batted

but it was 6 very poor balls

couldnt agree more, i dont know what he can possibly say to dhoni after that over.....