India’s fast bowling conundrum ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup is Rohit Sharma’s problem of plenty

Rohit Sharma heads into the 2023 World Cup with a lot on his plate. The first thing the Indian skipper has to take care of is the team combination. India currently is the best team when we speak about playing in home conditions. Despite losing odd series here and there India’s record has been impeccable.

Gone are the days when the Indian team was reliant on the spinners. Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja will play a huge role for sure. Rohit Sharma’s biggest headache will be the problem of plenty posed by the Indian pace battery.

Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Mohammad Siraj’s presence cannot be ignored. The trio have rarely played together, but the sight can give the other nine teams plenty to ponder.

Indian fast bowling (source-twitter)

Rohit Sharma’s pace bowling cabinet and its three diamonds –

Let us start with Mohammad Shami, the 33-year-old who has been India’s pace ace for the last five years. The right-arm pacer picked 5/51 in Mohali during the 1^st ODI versus Australia recently.

Mohammad Shami’s use of the new ball and the ability to bowl reverse-swing will be the key. The 33-year-old has picked 19 wickets from 12 games this year which is his personal best for the last three years.

At the other end of the spectrum, Mohammad Siraj doesn’t need any introduction. His spell in the 2023 Asia Cup final was one of the best seen in a long time. The 2023 ODI World Cup is the perfect place for Siraj to showcase his talents.

The 29-year-old is lethal to the left-handers with the new ball with his natural out-swing. Siraj now has developed a booming in-swing which puts both the left and right-hand batters in trouble. Siraj also can crank up the pace when needed and bowl in the mid-140s. With conditions to suit, Siraj can trouble the best batting units and reduce them to rubbles.

Finally, we have Jasprit Bumrah, a man who is built for the big occasions. India missed the mercurial pacer during the 2022 T20 World Cup. Bumrah’s ability doesn’t need to be discussed. The right-arm fast bowler has everything in his arsenal that a bowler needs. Deception, pace, attitude, aggression, and the ability to bowl Yorkers.

The question here that arises is whom does Rohit Sharma drop? Can he play all three seamers? Former India pacer L. Balaji has urged the Indian skipper to take this bold move. This would mean either Ashwin or Shardul have to be benched, the latter looking the more likely option.

Balaji recently said to the Times of India “Conditions notwithstanding, India should play three pacers together in big games like England, Australia, Pakistan, and New Zealand. Rotate them in other games if there is an issue of preserving them in such a long tournament. There is no point holding them back in key games, together they make the best pace attack in the world”