Ind Vs Ned Bowling : Rohit Sharma Reveals Reason Behind India's Bowling Experiment

When was the last time Indiaused nine bowling options? Well, it was their first ever in World Cup history. Making the most of their inconsequential league game against the Netherlands on Sunday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, India did a bit of a bowling experiment as they tested their part-time options which included Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma himself.

The captain later uncovered that it was all as per their pre-match plan of testing their choices for a 6th bowler as India gear up for the elimination round against New Zealand in Mumbai on November 15.

Hardik's Injury Leads To The Bowling Of Bowlers

Hardik Pandya's injury affected India's balance. With the fast-bowling all-rounded getting ruled out of the tournament with an ankle injury, most felt India would be exposed now and fall vulnerable in their subsequent league games. With no like-for-like replacement for Hardik, India fell to Plan B which was executed to perfection.

However, on Sunday, after India set a mighty target of 411 against the Netherlands, they turned to some of their lesser-used bowlers to check their depth.

Virat Kohli Bowled After Six Years

Virat Kohli, "some unacceptable footed inswinging hazard", unexpectedly in six years, dumbfounded a full in an ODI match and got a wicket too, of Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards, in his three-over spell of 1 for 13. Shubman Gill was subsequently brought in as he surrendered 11 runs in two overs with his off-turn assortment. Also, that was trailed by Suryakumar Yadav, who has 36 wickets in homegrown cricket.

Rohit Confirmed It Was The Part Of Experiment

After the big win, the captain confirmed their game plan, saying it was all part of an experiment.

"Today we had nine (bowling) options, it's important, this was the game where we could have tried certain things. The seamers bowling those wide yorkers when it was not needed, but we wanted to do that. As a bowling unit, we wanted to try doing something different and see what we can achieve," he said in the post-match presentation.