No end to bowling worries

The Lankan bowlers didn’t do too well either but at least their inexperienced attack,led by Chanaka Welegedara,grabbed 14 wickets in all. In fact,Welegedara reduced India to 32-4 in the first session. Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath struggled to make an impact in either innings,but the spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra were made to look even more pedestrian,with Harbhajan picking up two wickets for 189 from 48.4 overs and Mishra finishing with only one for 203.

Prolonged struggle

The Indian bowlers had done well in New Zealand in March,but they have struggled to replicate that form in the last six months. There was severe criticism after India’s early exit from the World T20 in England,and then after a disastrous campaign in the Champions Trophy in South Africa,where Dhoni himself came on to bowl. Things didn’t get much better even in the recent ODI series against Australia at home which India lost 4-2.

Zaheer Khan,who picked up two for 109 in his 36 overs at Motera,kept the intensity up even though he is returning from an injury layoff. A bigger problem is the form of his partner Ishant Sharma. Though the sword that hung over his head did fall during the ODI series against Australia,Dhoni decided to persist with him in the first Test,in which he had two wickets for 135 from 35 overs.

Harbhajan worry

India rely heavily on spin for victories at home,but the major worry for them is the poor form of Harbhajan Singh,who picked up 16 wickets at 21.37 against the Kiwis,but has failed to make an impact thereafter. Harbhajan has bowled with an economy rate of over five an over this year in ODIs,and has in fact performed better with the bat. As Mishra’s dismal show from the other side in Motera made things even worse,India now find themselves in a position where their options are somewhat limited going into the second Test in Kanpur.

Dhoni’s only alternative is going with Pragyan Ojha,who is yet to make his Test debut. In the pace department,a change would mean the inclusion of the mercurial Sreesanth.

The pitch will have a major role to play in Kanpur,but if the India again fail to make inroads into the Lankan batting line-up,the scrutiny of the bowling unit may be more intense.