It is said that sometimes it needs just one spark to turn around the fortunes in any aspect of life. That one little glitter can overturn the biggest of darkness and topple the situation from a grave one to a bright one.
Prior to the 1983 World Cup, India never really prioritised ODI cricket, but after winning that competition, the shorter format of the game began to acquire equal, if not more importance for the team and that was proven two years hence that win, when the team clinched the 1985 World Championships of Cricket in Australia.
Just like how that World Cup had an impact on India’s short-form cricket, the 2015 World Cup, where they reached the semifinal stage, also had an impact, albeit on the bowling unit.
Prior to the start of the competition, the bowlers were hammered from all corners. Lack of consistency, no penetration, lack of planning and several aspects of theirs had come under severe scrutiny and few had hopes on them turning a corner at the quadrennial event.
However, they turned it around and how, during the next 8 matches, picking up 70 wickets in 7 matches before faltering in the semis, where he could take just 7 scalps. Consequently, that was the only game in the event the Men In Blue lost and bowed out of the competition.
Ever since that event, where every India quick had a field time with the ball, the faster men have looked a different bread altogether. The lines and the lengths have improved considerably and there has also been a reduction in the loose deliveries.
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Some say the change has occurred because of two different captains leading India and having two different approaches while handling the quicker men, but credit must be given to the bowlers for having understood the areas that would trouble the batsman on a constant basis.
While he has been criticised heavily for his performance in limited-overs cricket, Umesh Yadav is on top of the charts as far as the leading wicket-takers since the 2015 World Cu[ is concerned. The Vidarbha pacer has been very good when it comes to the longer format of the game is concerned and showed signs of improvement in coloured clothing during the recent ODI series against New Zealand.
Mohammad Shami, despite having missed a chunk of the limited-overs series during this period because of injury finds himself at Number 2 and like Umesh has succeeded in whites for India.
With India set to play six matches at the start of next year and then the Champions Trophy along with 5 Tests at the start of the year , it will be interesting to see who goes ahead of whom in the chart for the most wickets since the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
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