Do India really struggle against left-arm pacers?
India comprehensively lost the second ODI of the ongoing 3-match ODI series against Australia. And before Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh blew the Indian bowling attack into pieces, there are carnage from Mitchell Starc. The left-arm pacer wrecked the Indian batting unit and walked away with a five-wicket haul. The performance fitted perfectly in the narrative of the Indian batting line-up floundering against left-arm pace. But how true is it? Let’s take a look.
India against all bowling styles in ODIs in the last 5 years
| Overs | Runs | Wickets | Average | Econ | SR | |
| vs left-arm pace | 494.5 | 2803 | 79 | 35.48 | 5.66 | 37.5 |
| vs right-arm pace | 2030.2 | 12083 | 302 | 40 | 5.95 | 40.3 |
| vs right-arm spin | 877 | 4999 | 97 | 51.53 | 5.7 | 54.2 |
| vs left-arm spin | 498.5 | 2771 | 49 | 56.55 | 5.55 | 61 |
The numbers do tell us that the Indian batting lineup finds left-arm pace the most difficult handle among other bowling styles. They average the least against that specific bowling type. While India have been spectacular against left-arm spin, they have struggled to counter the pace variety. However, this is not surprising. Left-arm pacers are indeed a rarity in international cricket and thus it is quite common for teams to struggle against this angle.
Here are the bowling averages of left-arm pacers against top teams
| Opposition | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Bowling Avg | Econ | SR |
| v West Indies | 388.2 | 2100 | 88 | 23.86 | 5.4 | 26.4 |
| v Sri Lanka | 318 | 1763 | 67 | 26.31 | 5.54 | 28.4 |
| v Australia | 338.3 | 1895 | 67 | 28.28 | 5.59 | 30.3 |
| v New Zealand | 243.1 | 1375 | 45 | 30.55 | 5.65 | 32.4 |
| v India | 494.5 | 2803 | 79 | 35.48 | 5.66 | 37.5 |
| v South Africa | 406 | 2320 | 64 | 36.25 | 5.71 | 38 |
| v England | 388.4 | 2396 | 66 | 36.3 | 6.16 | 35.3 |
| v Pakistan | 196.5 | 1187 | 29 | 40.93 | 6.03 | 40.7 |
While India have not been the best against left-arm pacers, they have not been the worst either. In fact, they find themselves among the better teams versus this peculiar bowling angle. A major aspect in this regard is India’s frequent collapse on the big stage against left-armers. Here are some of the best bowling performances by left-arm pacers against India in ODIs in the last 5 years.
Reece Topley 6/24, Lord’s, July 2022
Trent Boult 5/21, Hamilton, Jan 2019
Mustafizur Rehman 5/59, Birmingham (World Cup), July 2019
Except for Mustafizur (which was in a losing cause for Bangladesh), both the remaining performances have occurred in bi-laterals. Mitchell Starc’s 5/53 is the latest addition to this list. While India have shown frailness against the left-arm angle in ODIs, it is not as dire as it may seem.
