CENTURION: A few weeks ago, India's bowling coach Paras Mhambrey in an interview to PTI was very clear that no coach can claim credit to have created a pacer of Mohammed Shami's calibre.
On the second and third day of the first Test against South Africa when Dean Elgar, David Bedingham and Marco Jansen were making a mockery of Shardul Thakur and debutant Prasidh Krishna, Shami's absence was felt like never before.
It could be said with a degree of certainty that Prasidh might have played his first and last Test for some time and in the next game Ravindra Jadeja and Avesh Khan would walk into the playing XI in place of him and Shardul Thakur.
The Indian fans got a reality check that the country's second line of red ball bowlers aren't exactly finished products and the days of dominance due to Jasprit Bumrah, Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav could be all but over.
Ishant and Umesh are unofficially done with their Test careers and Shami is nearer to end rather than start.
They say it takes two to tango and Bumrah without Shami is incomplete and the vice versa is equally true.
Siraj is the third angle to the triangle.
"Shami has a chronic left heel issue. A lot of people don't know that he took injections regularly during World Cup and played the entire tournament through pain.
"But you must understand that as you grow older, recovery from each niggle or big injury takes that more time," a former Bengal teammate of Shami, aware of his situation told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
Prasidh's shoddy performance must have set the alarm bells ringing in the Indian camp.
While Rohit Sharma, as any skipper would do publicly, backed the Bengaluru man, who was playing only his 13th first-class game, the manner in which Avesh Khan was summoned by the Indian team management after his five-wicket haul for India A indicated the panic that has set in among the ranks.
"Poor Prasidh... The kid isn't ready for Test cricket. He doesn't have skills to bowl second and third spells yet. They went with him based on his ability to hit the deck. But they forgot when has he last played a proper season of Ranji Trophy? Just one India A game isn't enough," a former India bowler told PTI.
He said that even Avesh's inclusion wouldn't make much of a difference unless he is given a long rope.
"The problem is India's next generation of pacers don't evoke the same kind of excitement and confidence that Bumrah, Shami, Ishant and Siraj produced.
1/10:India's series dream ends in three-day defeat by South Africa
Reuters
2/10:Innings defeat for India
<p>India's dream of winning a Test series in South Africa for the first time was ended inside three days as they crashed to an innings and 32 runs defeat in Centurion. </p>PTI
3/10:India 131 all out
<p>India crashed to 131 all out in their second innings after conceding a 163-run first innings lead. </p>Getty Images
4/10:Abject surrender
<p>A day which started with the match evenly poised turned into a rout for Rohit Sharma and his team. </p>PTI
5/10:Strong position
<p>Dean Elgar (185) and Marco Jansen (84 not out) transformed a slender 11-run lead for South Africa at the start of play into a strong position. </p>PTI
6/10:Match-winning stand
<p>Dean Elgar and Marco Jansen shared a 111-run sixth-wicket partnership as South Africa took an overnight 256/5 to 408 all out. </p>AFP
7/10:Rohit Sharma
<p>Kagiso Rabada set the tone for South Africa, bowling Rohit Sharma for a duck with a superb delivery which deviated off the pitch to hit the off stump. </p>Getty Images
8/10:Shubman Gill
<p>Shubman Gill (26) was the only other Indian batsman to reach double figures and no other batsman scored more than six. </p>Getty Images
9/10:Virat Kohli
<p>Virat Kohli hit an aggressive 76 before he was last man out but the rest of the batting collapsed against South Africa's fast bowlers on a lively pitch. </p>Reuters
10/10:India 2nd innings
<p>Virat Kohli hit 12 fours and a six in an 82-ball knock in the Indian second innings that lasted just 34.1 overs. </p>Getty Images"Avesh is same type of bowler like Prasidh but plays red ball cricket more regularly. So he might hit better lengths. Navdeep Saini is still playing India A for six years. That tells you the story," the bowler, who refused to be named, said.
Shardul Thakur's long rope as bits and pieces cricketer also might come to an end as he is neither looking menacing with the ball nor dependable with the bat.
Had Hardik Pandya been interested in playing red ball cricket, Shardul wouldn't have been in the horizon of Tests but with lack of good multi-skilled cricketers in domestic set-up, he is considered to be the best among whatever talent is available in store.
India might still handle this WTC cycle but possessing a bowling attack with an ability to take 20 sticks is a distant reality.
