Driven by data, bowling coach Mhambrey working his magic

Bowlers are doing the job but tactical inputs provided behind the scenes are making a crucial difference

- Sanjjeev K Samyal and Nilankur Das

At the Wankhede Stadium, during the game against Sri Lanka last Thursday, Mohammed Shami celebrated his fifth wicket by placing the ball on his head. The gesture was directed towards the India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, who spent a lot of time working with him, motivating and pushing him even when he was on the bench.

The result of all that was evident in how Shami performed when he finally got a chance to play after the unfortunate injury to Hardik Pandya. The pacer settled right in and is now India’s leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets in just four games.

India's bowling attack at the World Cup has been the talk of the cricket world. It’s been mesmirising to watch them in action. As Shami’s gesture suggests, it is but natural that their bowling coach is doing something right. A trusted lieutenant of Rahul Dravid, Mhambrey had big shoes to fill given the success achieved under the earlier bowling coach Bharat Arun.

Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were all established names having done well under the previous coach, so the comparisons were inevitable. So, if you mess up, you lose the dressing room. It very much becomes a case of whether you can take the players to the next level. During the World Cup, the Indian pace bowlers have been a sight to behold. At the same time, the guile of the spin duo Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav has been captivating.

The numbers are so stunning that it is being termed as the best-ever attack ever fielded by any team in the ODI World Cups. India have not conceded a 300-plus total. They have bowled out teams under 200 in five out of eight matches. Two of those totals have been under 100.