Just quarter past the scheduled time (09.30 am IST) for India's practice, a line of eager cameramen positioned themselves in anticipation for the arrival of the players on the third day of the side's national preparatory camp in Bangalore. As the cricketers began to walk out of the National Cricket Academy building and onto the B Ground at the Chinnaswamy stadium, there was one visual that caught the attention. Umesh Yadav, one of the quick bowlers of the side, emerged from within the building with a thigh pad on. Right behind him, came Ishant Sharma, the leader of India's bowling attack, padded up to take early strike in the nets!
As Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane took turns for throwdowns from Sanjay Bangar, the batting coach for the upcoming tour of West Indies, and Raghu, India's designated throw-down specialist, Umesh and Ishant did the same in the adjacent nets. It was a peculiar sight for the handful of onlookers who had gathered to try and squeeze out an autograph and a selfie with some of the players.
For every textbook back foot punch from Rahane and a commanding cover drive from Virat Kohli, there was an audacious cut from Umesh and an optimistic sweep from Ishant, a shot he would oft-repeat in the 45-minute batting session that was also characterised by a few well-connected shots, some over-the-top slogs and a lot of swing-and-misses amidst a lot of discussions and shadow practice.
Soon enough, Mohammad Shami strolled out with his batting equipments in tow, adding to India's strategy of giving their tail a long batting session. Like Umesh and Ishant, Shami too faced HS Sharath, the Karnataka pacer, Stuart Binny, Amit Mishra and a couple of net bowlers. His stint was shorter, as he came on to bowl in the same nets to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin.
By the time India's busy morning session came to a halt at noon, there was enough evidence from that net, to believe that the management expects the lower-order to add a lot of value to the team's batting when they tour West Indies this month.
Since MS Dhoni's retirement in December 2014, India have looked a touch vulnerable in the lower order. In his last year in whites, Dhoni was involved in as many as seven seventh-wicket partnerships in nine Tests, including two 50-plus stands with Ravichandran Ashwin and two with Ravindra Jadeja, that frustrated opponents to a good extent. Despite losing all the three series (In New Zealand, England and Australia) in which these partnerships were achieved, Dhoni put on a brave face on several occasions when the top-order caved in, thereby helping India's batting drag on for as long as possible.
Wriddhiman Saha, Dhoni's replacement behind the stumps and as the vital link between the top and lower-order, has a long way to go before he successfully fills the former captain's massive boots.
"To fill up Dhoni's boots isn't an easy task. He played for India for many years, and was a match-winner for India. I will try and reach my potential and help the team, with the bat in vital situations and by taking catches behind the stumps," Saha conceded in the press conference on Friday (July 1).
Despite playing a Test each in 2010 and 2012, Saha's moment of truth arrived in second innings of the Adelaide Test in 2014. The emotionally-stirring Test, played when the grief of the passing of Phillip Hughes was still very raw among his national teammates, had been turned into an absolute cliffhanger by Virat Kohli, the stand-in captain, and his ballsy determination to go after a target of 364. When Saha joined Kohli in the middle, India had raced to 277 for the loss of half their side. The target was down to less than 100 with over 25 overs to go. A partnership with Kohli would've surely led India to a memorable win on Australian soil. But that was not to be. Saha threw his wicket away while trying to slog against Nathan Lyon, exposing a frail lower-order that folded and let Australia eke out a narrow win.
In eight Tests since the Adelaide game, Saha has been part of just three fifty-plus stands, two of which came alongside Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The manner in which he can bat with the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and batsmen further down the order will signify his ability and acumen as a Test cricketer.
Saha's numbers so far flatter to deceive but he has only regularly featured in the Test side for a little over a year-and-a-half now. The upcoming season, thus, will be decisive in his progress. As the team gears up for the West Indies tour, Saha exudes confidence and reveals his keenness in batting with the tail, something that the board will be glad to hear.
"I feel good batting with the lower order because in that situation (if) the team makes crucial 40-50 runs, it is very helpful for the team. Even if every bowler contributes 15-20, the team can make a big score, so in that if I can also make a contribution, it will be very good for the team and myself."
With more than 15 Tests to come in the next 12 months, and India stressing on the need for their bowlers to sharpen their batting skills, Saha will have ample opportunity to walk the talk, and the tail will have similar chances of making such batting sessions count....
