This Indian team has become so used to wrapping up Test matches within three days that anything stretching beyond that feels like alien territory. When a home Test rolls into the fourth day, frustration brews — both on and off the field. Thankfully for India, the opposition this time is the West Indies; on current form, even a solid Ranji Trophy side might challenge this Caribbean unit.
Yet, to everyone’s surprise, the visitors showed unexpected resilience — batting for more than two days in their second innings and blunting India’s much-vaunted bowling attack. At one stage, the Indian bowlers looked bereft of ideas, almost helpless, as the West Indies lineup stood firm at the Ferozeshah Kotla.
A Reminder from the Past: Kumble’s Relentless Discipline
Well, there was Anil Kumble in the commentary box — a reminder of that unforgettable spell against Pakistan in 1999, when he took all ten wickets in an innings at this very venue. His success back then came from a relentless, uncomplicated approach: bowl wicket-to-wicket, stay patient, and never deviate from the plan.
Cricket may have evolved dramatically since that era — with new formats, technologies, and batting bravado redefining risk — but the fundamentals remain the same. To make an impact as a bowler, you still need to bowl to your field, attack the stumps, build pressure through maiden overs, and force mistakes.
Unfortunately, that essence seemed absent from India’s bowling effort in this match. The new ball after lunch offered a brief window of control, but the resistance from the West Indies tail during their last-wicket stand exposed India’s lack of consistency. It was a timely wake-up call that even at home, there’s always room for improvement.
Kuldeep Yadav’s Effort and the Flat Pitch Myth
Even India’s lone specialist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, didn’t look particularly menacing. True, he ended up with the most wickets among the bowlers, but the bite and deception were missing. Was it the Kotla wicket? Nonsense.
Whenever plenty of runs are scored, the pitch gets the blame, labelled as flat or lifeless. And when spinners fail to dominate, critics say India can’t exploit home conditions anymore. But a truly great spinner doesn’t depend on the surface alone — he creates opportunities, using variations in pace, flight, and angle to force the batsman’s hand.
The Ashwin Example: You Can’t Please Everyone
When Ravichandran Ashwin used to pick wickets on rank turners under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, his success was often dismissed. Critics claimed he was just a T20-style bowler thriving on dustbowls. But the fact is simple — you can’t please everyone with your success.
Today, the conditions are far tougher, and the West Indies batters were dictating terms. The least one expects is for the Indian bowlers to show patience and control — to tighten their lines, restrict runs, and draw mistakes through pressure, not aggression. It’s about discipline and temperament, not merely talent.
Learning to Swing Against the Tide
This Indian bowling unit, for all its promise, still needs to learn how to adapt when conditions go flat. The truly great attacks don’t just wait for help from the surface — they create it.
That’s what separates a good bowling attack from a great one: the ability to manufacture pressure, seize moments, and turn the tide even when the pitch seems dead.
