World Cup 2015: India Bowlers Pitch it Right, Keep Pace With Batsmen

It's been a remarkable turnaround. During the Test series in Australia and the ODI tri-series, Mohammad Shami and company ran up, delivered and got smashed into next week. Now, they are the most lethal bowling unit of World Cup 2015. (India Crush Bangladesh)

"You can't ask for anything better", the Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun gushed.

Seriously, you can't. A strong bowling unit has been the dream of many an Indian captain. Sourav Ganguly had one that featured Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. Since then, it has been a case of doing by with spare parts. Injuries, bad form and inconsistency has hurt the Indian bowling over the last few years. (India Reach World Cup Semi-finals -- Pakistan Next?)

All this while, every opposition has been wary of India's devastating batting line-up but now, suddenly, they have to deal with Shami and company. The Indian bowling attack is hunting in a pack and Shami is the leader. With 17 wickets in 7 games, the Bengal pacer is sitting atop the highest wicket-taker chart in this World Cup. His partner-in-crime Umesh Yadav has 14 to his credit while, Mohit Sharma, the third wheel, has claimed 11.

The Indian pace trio has impressed Ian Chappell as well and according to him, "Mohit Sharma has added a new dimension to this Indian pace attack." (Dhoni Joins Aussie Greats With a Century of ODI Victories)

It's not only the fast bowlers. The spinners too have got their act together. The much cricticised Ravichandran Ashwin has suddenly turned into a classical off-spinner. He's flighting the ball, bowling the off-stump line and keeping the batsmen in check. Ravindra Jadeja too, has been economical. Then you throw in a bit of Suresh Raina.

These six have impressed one and all, including the Australian great Mike Hussey.

"Coming into the tournament, I wasn't sure whether they were good enough to make it to the semis, but their bowling in particular has been outstanding. They were always an unbelievable batting team, everyone always knew that, but the bowlers have been sensational," said the former Aussie player.

Against Bangladesh, the Indian bowlers achieved the unique feat of bowling every side out in all the seven games. The South Africans had done the same in 2011 edition. The world record however, belongs to Australia, who have bowled out the opposition 10 times in-a-row.

When asked about the secret of their turnaround, Suresh Raina said, "The bowlers are in a good frame of mind. They're eating better and are getting ample rest, so are looking fresh."

There's definitely a freshness about this bowling attack. Before the start of World Cup, they were heavily criticised and bullied by every expert.

Now, all of a sudden, they are the talk of the town.

Seventy wickets in 7 games, this Indian bowling is going places. The weak link of Team India has suddenly turned the tables to emerge as its strongest facet. A month ago, the Indian fans wouldn't have believed it.

Now, they have seen it happen.