Sairaj Bahutule, India’s acting bowling coach, recently grabbed front stage and announced that there will be a significant increase in the number of Indian batsmen bowling during games. In the T20I series, players like Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav have already thrown their arms in the first innings of new head coach Gautam Gambhir’s reign.
In a similar vein, when Shubman Gill entered the field to bowl in the opening One-Day International against Sri Lanka, the acting coach hinted that this was the Indian team’s future.
It is noteworthy to mention that during the ODI, captain Rohit Sharma was asked if he would try his hand at bowling during the toss. But Rohit thought the Men in Blue had a respectable bowling arsenal. Despite having the ball in the 32nd over, Gill gave up 14 runs after being hit for a six and a four.
“Our batsmen, in my opinion, are also competent bowlers. They don’t concentrate much on bowling because their main ability is batting; yet, the more they practise, the more proficient they will become. Whenever the chance is presented to them. As demonstrated in the Twenty20 Internationals, Rinku and Suryakumar’s contributions helped India win the game. Similar to how Shubman Gill was given a chance, Sairaj Bahutule stated at the press conference following the game, as reported by India Today, “It is definitely going to be an all-rounder’s game in the coming time.”
There will be plenty of opportunities for the batters to bowl going forward: Sairaj Bahutule
Additionally, Sairaj Bahutule said that having a bowler in the top five helps the club tremendously. He also predicted that more instances of batters rolling their arms over during games will occur in the future.
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“However, if someone can bowl and they are in the top four or five, that helps the team a lot. There will be additional contributions going forward. Considering the circumstances and the state of the pitch, I believe we can utilise our bowlers. A bowler who can also bat can pose a surprise threat to the opposition. Thus, going forward, the batters will have plenty of chances to bowl, according to Bahutule.