Ahead of the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, former India captain Ajinkya Rahane has raised concerns about India’s bowling, highlighting it as the side’s primary vulnerability.
Rahane’s remarks come after India batted out nearly two days for a hard-fought draw in Manchester to stay in the series.
Rahane stated on his YouTube channel, “The India team is playing well, and the batting unit has been fantastic. What concerns the Indian team is the bowling department. A couple of bowlers are bowling well, but they are not getting the support.”
He emphasized that finding the right team combination and adding an extra bowler could help address this issue going into the Oval Test.
In the Manchester Test, India conceded almost 700 runs in England’s only innings. Despite significant injuries to bowlers Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep-who had excelled in previous matches-India managed to salvage a draw courtesy of hundreds from Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar.
Across the ongoing Test series, India’s batting has been prolific, registering 11 individual centuries, tying the country’s long-standing record in a bilateral series. However, substantial criticism has been directed at head coach Gautam Gambhir for team selection, particularly the preference for all-rounders over specialist bowlers.
After four Tests, the series stands with England leading 2-1. India suffered defeats in the first and third matches, but won the second Test on the back of remarkable batting and bowling performances, including a record-breaking double century by Gill and a ten-wicket haul by Akash Deep. The final Test at The Oval now presents India with a chance to level the series.
Although Gill and his boys have made a modest start, this is a significant step in the right direction for the Indian team, which came to England without the stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin.