Play five bowlers only if one of them can bat well: McDermott

NEW DELHI: Excitement levels rise every time Virat Kohli announces he is going in with five specialist bowlers for a Test match, like he did on Thursday.
The Indian Test skipper has made this a habit while playing abroad over the last year. Kohli has been part of enough Test matches, prior to his captaincy, when the Indian team had frustratingly failed to have close out matches.Thus, the five-bowler theory is more of a necessity than a luxury for him.
Former Australian fast bowler Craig McDermott, who toured with the Australian Test team as a bowling coach to the Caribbean last year, however has his reservations about playing five bowlers. bowl in the channel for any length of time. "It's handy to have five bowlers. You can rotate the bowlers a bit more. But you got to make sure that one of those bowlers can bat well as well," McDermott told TOI.
McDermott's words stem from an Aussie culture which has tasted much of its success playing four bowlers. But there are obvious limitations for Kohli, with leads a team with bowlers who struggle to see," the 51-year-old McDermott said. "Don't Virat or Steve Smith play all formats and play successfully?
Why can't bowlers do that? Hitting the channel boils down to practice. Yes, it's tough being a bowler with bigger bats, flatter pitches and balls not doing much."
So, it comes down to the experience of Ishant Sharma. "He has been warhorse for India. The sheer number of balls that he has bowled for India from a young age is remarkable," he points out before coming up with a rider: "Ishant has to get his length right. He has always bowled too short. When he gets his length right he has some good pace."