Thoroughbred stays in stable

It was overcast and there was a strong breeze from south to north. The conditions were ideal for swing bowling. Even MS Dhoni admitted at the toss that the pitch would have something for the quicks. Inexplicably,the team management left out the man who could have utilised the conditions most.

Bhuvneshwar is the best swing bowler that India has on offer at the moment,the bowler making a habit of picking up wickets up front when conditions favour him.

Also,his economy rate,5.37,was the best among the medium pacers in the first three matches.

But India decided to retain Vinay Kumar and drop Bhuvneshwar. The former,bowling his dibly-doblies,hasn’t looked too threatening this series,and has gone for plenty (conceding 181 runs in 26.3 overs before this game).

Expensive Vinay

On Wednesday too,Vinay Kumar couldn’t check the run-flow. He returned with two wickets here,giving away 52 runs in eight overs but was also one of the reasons why Australia managed to shake off the pressure,gather momentum and eventually post a big total despite losing their first four wickets for just 74 runs.

Figures don’t always tell the whole story. Vinay came as the first change in the 11th over when Australia were tottering at 40 for 3. Mohammed Shami,who came in for Ishant Sharma,was spitting venom at the other end having taken all three wickets. Jaydev Unadkat,Bhuvneshwar’s replacement,maintained a decent economy rate without being effective.

Vinay Kumar ruined their good work in his very first over,his gentle looseners and half-trackers at 125kph going for 14 runs. That one over helped George Bailey regain his confidence. The Australia captain started off shakily and had lived a charmed life from the very first ball he faced.

Changes were expected in the bowling department after the seamers were taken to the cleaners in the first three matches. But it was very surprising that on his home ground,in conditions he must know well,MS Dhoni didn’t pick his best side based on conditions. Worried about the death bowling,maybe he thought Vinay would be a safer bet in the final overs.

The defeat in Mohali was indeed hard to swallow. But ignoring a genuine wicket-taking option (Bhuvneshwar) and thinking about containment gave a negative impression. Interestingly,Vijay wasn’t used in the final 10 overs in the Australian innings. Suresh Raina,Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin bowled nine of them,while Shami bowled the last.

Shami,who rattled the Australian top order with his pace,bounce and seam movement,and India’s best bowler on the day,wasn’t fully utilised.

The Bengal fast-medium bowler’s first spell went for 21 runs from six overs with three wickets. Despite being unplayable at times,Shami just got two more overs after that.