WTC Final: Not genuine swing bowlers - Simon Doull explains Indian pacers' struggles

Simon Doull has explained the reasons for the Indian pacers' struggle on Day 3 of the World Test Championship final against New Zealand.

Doull said that Jasprit Bumrah and other Indian bowlers aren't genuine swing bowlers and rely more upon seam movement, hence couldn't match with their rivals in that ability. 

India got two wickets from 49 overs on Sunday, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sharma being the wicket-takers. Both Bumrah and Ishant looked flat with the new ball while Mohammed Shami looked in rhythm as the first change yet was unfortunate on most events. 

Doull likewise added that he expected some more seam movement from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, yet they simply weren't adequately predictable.

In a conversation with Cricbuzz, Simon Doull said: "They are not genuine swing bowlers. We know Jasprit Bumrah can swing the ball, Ishant is more of a swing bowler nowadays, coming round-the-wicket he has that angled wrist with which he takes the ball away from the left-handers, into the right-handers. Mohammed Shami has never really been a genuine swing bowler and he's a seam bowler. That's why they weren't swinging the ball much. I did, however, expected the ball to seam a lot more. Shami and Bumrah at times found it but they probably weren't just consistent enough much like New Zealand weren't yesterday morning."

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New Zealand scored 116 runs at the fall of two wickets Tom Latham and Devon Conway. Captain Kane Williamson is standing firm at the close by experienced batsman Ross Taylor. 

When asked whether the absence of match practice influenced India's build-up in the WTC final, Doull said that this rationale was presumably overthinking. He referred to New Zealand's two-match series against England which helped them with match-readiness, adding that he expected something similar from Team India. :

"New Zealand went into the first Test at Lord's against England, they had the very same preparation that India had coming into this Test - intra-squad matches, training, practices - and they looked pretty set and ready to go. Tim Southee bowled beautifully and Devon Conway came off ten days of the net session into a double hundred at Lord's. And I thought India would be exactly the same. I think at times you may overthink it and say, 'Did they have enough preparation?' I think they probably did. I am sure in the last 10-12 days they would have bowled enough deliveries to make sure they were raring to go."

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Simon Doull, nonetheless, additionally conceded that the lack of proper match practice has its own results. 

"It's hard, though, when you can't simulate match practice. You try it in these intra-squad games but it just doesn't work. And that's the key - it's the genuinely hard match practice that makes you better and gets you ready for those matchups" - he concluded.