Tell Mohammad Shami that it has been a batsman-dominated World Cup and he just might break into uncontrollable laughter.
Tell India that bowlers in general have been taken to the cleaners by the batsmen in this tournament and they will echo Shami's sentiment.
Coming into the tournament, we thought, India's bowling was a worry but in seven matches, India have taken 70 wickets -- a first for them. 25 of those wickets have fallen to the short ball and at the forefront of this charge has been Mohammad Shami.
The right-arm fast bowler has consistently bowled in the 140s and his haul of 17 wickets at 13.29 has played a big role in India's splendid tournament. He further chips in with an economy of 4.43 -- which clearly shows that even when he isn't taking wickets, he is still keeping the batsmen in check.
As brilliant as India's run with the bat has been, Shami has truly been a standout performer. And at this point, we can't help but wonder whether this India bowling attack has ever been under some serious match stress. The wins have been comprehensive -- but when Ireland attacked... when Zimbabwe attacked, India really had no answer.
But even through all of that, Shami has been incredibly consistent to get 17 wickets -- he got taken to the cleaners... in the Tests and even though he was getting wickets, he was still leaking runs. His line and length was all over the place. But his reinvention in ODIs has left everyone spellbound.
It began with the tri-series and has continued into the World Cup.
8.1-0-44-1 vs Australia, Jan 18
Good length 15 balls to righties, 12 runs; 15 balls to lefties -- all over the place. Full, good, short of good, short. Impressive? Not really. He seemed to be continuing from where he left off in the Tests.
4-0-23-0 vs England, Jan 20
India got bowled out for a small target. The bowlers didn't have much to do. Shami, though, was excessively short. 10 short balls and 6 short of good length balls in a 24-ball spell.
9-0-31-1 vs England, Jan 30
He took the new ball behind Stuart Binny (3-33). But Shami finally started to get some consistency -- 17 good length balls, 7 short of good length and 9 full deliveries to the righties -- all just outside the off-stump.
9-1-35-4 vs Pakistan, Feb 15
The short ball did the trick for him here... Three wickets came off short balls, 9 balls at a good length. A pitch map reveals that he was all over the place but he had pace and the Pakistan batsmen were still no acclimatised.
8-1-30-2 vs SA, Feb 22
This was probably his best spell -- against a side that knows how to play fast bowling. 15 balls at a good length, nothing short of good length and good use of the short ball.
8-2-35-3 vs West Indies, March 6
The dot ball percentage was high at 69 percent. He sent the openers back early. Kept his line outside the off-stump (21 balls, including 9 short balls). They were working on a plan and it worked.
9-0-41-3 vs Ireland, March 10
Umesh Yadav got thumped all over the park (4-0-34-0) as did Mohit Sharma (6-0-38-1) but Shami was once again brilliant. His consistency has been his biggest asset. 22 balls on off-stump, another 5 outside the off-stump. Just 2 balls down leg-stump. This was a solid exhibition of controlled bowling.
9-2-48-3 vs Zimbabwe, March 14
He got the wickets but his control over line and length was weak. Brendan Taylor played a classic knock and India's bowling just had a poor day. The spinners were carted all over the park. Probably the first time in the tournament they were put under sustained pressure. There were some visible cracks.
8-1-37-2 vs Bangladesh, March 19
Five fours were hit off Shami but he got vital wickets and the key for him was once again the short ball -- he got both wickets with it. The control though seemed to be going away a little.
Against Australia, though, this 'short ball' strategy that has worked so well for Shami won't be as easy to execute.
India had the acclimatisation advantage over every opponent they faced in the World Cup. They have been in Australia since November and it is helping the batsmen and the bowlers. But this advantage counts for nothing against the hosts Australia.
They play the short ball well and you have to get it right to make an impact. The strike-rate of the Australian batsmen against India is pretty high: Faulkner (148), Maxwell (145), Watson (98), Warner (92), Johnson (89), Clarke (84) and Finch (83). This is a line-up that will attack (as we saw in the practice match when Shami was carted for 83 runs in 9.3 overs) and they bat deep as well.
That is why Shami will have to raise his game. Wahab Riaz's spell might convince everyone to go after the Aussies with the short ball but not everyone has that kind of pace and accuracy. Umesh Yadav struggles with his lines when hit but Shami has shown that perhaps he can pull it off. Mohit Sharma has been brilliant as first change but he will need the opening duo to make the early inroads.
If Australia get away to a quick start, it will make things difficult for India's spinners as well. Clarke, Smith and Maxwell are among the best players of spin in the world. Give them a platform and they will take Ashwin and Jadeja for a ride that neither they nor India will relish.
And once again that means Shami has to strike early. The Aussies might be surprised with what they get -- that is how big the transformation has been in his time Down Under. That will give him the initial advantage but as Dhoni has been saying, 'India's bowling needs to keep it simple, bowl to a plan and not try too many variations.'
So far, Shami has done just that. But can he retain the poise under pressure... that is a question that we'd all like him to answer in the affirmative
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