A Pace Problem India Can No Longer Ignore

India winning games through batters and spinners is hardly a plot twist. In the post-Jhulan Goswami era, asking seamers to steal the show is rare. Renuka Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, and Nandni Sharma have had memorable days, but standout performances have rarely come in starring roles.

The ongoing World Cup hasn't changed that narrative. What stands out: of the 12 teams, India are least reliant on their seamers.

It's not just about how frugally pacers have been used, but their ineffectiveness. Wickets aren't coming, runs are leaking, and they're generating less swing and seam movement than opponents.

In this World Cup, Indian pacers have picked the fewest wickets, have the worst strike rate and average, and are the third-most expensive pace attack (after Netherlands and Pakistan).

It's not bad luck. Apart from one dropped catch off Kranti Gaud, all dropped chances came off spinners. Indian seamers have induced the lowest percentage of false strokes among all pace attacks.

It's not about unfriendly tracks either. Bangladesh and Netherlands have bowled better at the same venues.

Since the last T20 World Cup in 2024, Indian pacers have had the worst average, second-worst strike rate, and third-worst economy among all competing teams.

India were the second-worst pace attack during the victorious 2025 50-over World Cup as well. In the final, eight wickets fell to spinners, two were run-outs.

Midway through the group stage, team management remains uncertain on its best pace options, having tried three different combinations in three games.

Shreyanka Patil's injury leaves a massive void in the death overs. In this year's WPL, Renuka Thakur bowled only one death over, Kranti Gaud none. So the inclusion of uncapped Nandni Sharma was wise.

Nandni has a sharp bouncer (rare), swings both ways, uses varied slower balls, can reverse, and bowls across all phases. She thrives in death pressure—a skill not trusted against South Africa. When Deepti Sharma had an off day, the attack's weaknesses were exposed.

Only one ball of pace has been used in the death by India. The bigger concern is the inability to take wickets upfront and create early pressure.

While seamers bowling conventional good length in the powerplay have found success, Indian seamers have used hard-length deliveries nearly 55% of the time, with poor results. They've induced the fewest false shots in this phase.

Indian pacers operate slower than most teams (except Scotland and Ireland). Many fuller deliveries have been slower balls.

The script is familiar: spinners carry the attack, batters provide muscle. As the tournament heads into its critical half, the team management won't want to leave ends loose.