Now, pace is a potent force for India

Though credit could be given to the all-round effort of Ravindra Jadeja, who along with Wriddhiman Saha helped India gain a small but important lead, the 10-over spell of pace bowling that followed was the defining moment of the Test.

In that period, the pace duo of India, Umesh Yadav, in particular, took the top three Australian wickets before they could wipe off the deficit. From there on, it was a losing battle for the Aussies. From the time when the role of pacemen was to take the shine off the ball quickly to make way for the spinners at home, India have a come a long way to find a potent weapon when they tour abroad. 

There will be a long break now for the IPL and Champions Trophy before they go on a Test tour but what will be heartening is that captain Virat Kohli will have a bunch of fast bowlers at his disposal with Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav as spearheads. If Shami was intimidating against the Englishmen, Umesh bowled a fiery spell whenever he was given the new ball finding the wicket-taking length time and again. 

“It has not happened overnight,” said M Senthilnathan, the head of MRF Pace Foundation on India’s new-found status in fast bowling. “It is basically experience. In India, the ideal length for a fast bowler is between short and full whereas in Australia, the short one works well. It will take time for bowlers to realise this and the Aussie bowlers did not understand this while bowling in this series.” 

Senthilnathan felt the loss of Mitchell Starc after the second Test changed the complexion of the series as the Indian morale was high in the last two Tests. At the same time, he cautioned the Indian pacers that the tracks in Australia and South Africa called for a different length and the real test for them would come when they bowl in those conditions. 

However, this series has also been a good publicity for Test cricket. “After 17 years since the India-Australia series in 2001, the crowds have come back to watch Test cricket. It has revived the longer version of the game,” said Senthilnathan.