Currently India has 6-7 quality fast bowling options, believes Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra has claimed that the current Indian cricket team have 6-7 quality fast bowling options and has a potent unit to disrupt any established batting order. He is particularly pleased with the display of seasoned seamer Ishant Sharma in the first Test of the current series in England.
Sharma bagged seven wickets in the first Test at Edgbaston against England, including a fifer in the second innings. However, India lost the game as they fell short by 31 runs. Considering this and other brilliant performances by the Indian quicks like Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the past few years, Nehra felt that the future was bright for the Indian team as far as pace-bowling resources are concerned.
Nehra stated that India has 6-7 quality fast bowling options and the rest that are behind are also very good. He praised the Indian team’s efforts as they managed to pick all the 20 wickets in the first Test and was particularly pleased to see Sharma leading from the front.
“We have a huge number of quality fast bowling options. We have 6-7 quality fast bowlers and the rest that are behind are also really good. India managed to pick all the 20 wickets in the first Test match and I am pleased to see somebody like Ishant Sharma leading from the front after playing so many Test matches,” Nehra told reporters in Mumbai.
Nehra further praised Mohammed Shami for his bowling performance after a coming back from an injury and did not forget to mention Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s consistent performances in the shorter formats.
“Shami was struggling with injuries, but he bowled really well in the first Test after coming back. On the other hand, you have Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar who have done well in the shorter formats,” he added.
The 39-year-old was of the view that Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Siraj were coming up the ranks as he noticed their talent in the IPL with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
“Another two guys I see coming up are Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini. They have been a part of the India A squad and I have seen them closely in RCB as well. All of them have heaps of talent,” Nehra said.
While Nehra felt that India could win the World Cup next year in England, he expected Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah to form the core part of that squad.
“We have Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah in the One Dayers and I expect them to be there in the next World Cup as well. However, the World Cup is next year. But I certainly feel the Indian team is a top contender,” he concluded.