It is a good time for fast bowlers in India, feels Zaheer Khan
Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan has commented that this is a good time for fast bowlers in India. The recent success of team India against different sides in foreign conditions can mostly be traced back to the performance of the bowlers which has significantly improved in overseas conditions.
Team India, who used to rely on the top order’s batting prowess, has now switched its approach towards Test cricket, by laying more emphasis on pace bowling. This change was brought into effect in the last two years and at present, the team have been hugely benefitted by that.
"These are exciting times to be a fast bowler in India. The likes of Bumrah, Shami, Ishant, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Navdeep Saini among others have proven the fact that the current Indian team is a powerhouse of bowling and it is by far the best bowling attack in the world. It feels fantastic as a fast bowler and I hope they keep putting in the hard work and maintain the rhythm which has seen then achieving results," Khan as quoted by Cricket Next.Â
Zaheer is one of the few players to have played under Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli. His time under different skippers allowed him to witness the evolution of Test cricket in India, and how different captains approach different situations.
"Sourav made us believe that we can win oversees and inspired us to play with a lot of aggression. Dhoni was calm through tough situations, yet aggressive in his approach. We won the World Cup under him, so it was always very special playing under his leadership. Virat is a lot like dada (Ganguly), he is expressive, bold in his decisions and always pumps the team up through crunch situations. His sublime batting form is always reflective of the way he leads the team on the field. I wish to see him lift the World Cup for India one day," he explained.
Team India are sure to miss the services of their lead bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who suffered a stress fracture on his lower back and has been ruled out of the tournament, with Umesh Yadav coming in as replacement.
"The current pool of fast bowlers is the best India has ever had for sure. I feel India is already siding a to watch out for in the world as far as fast bowling is concerned. I am looking forward to this series to see the kind of combination they go in with because generally you have seen two spinners being played even if there is help for the fast bowlers.”
"Everyone (young bowlers) has their own style. Saini has impressed with his pace. I feel in the longer format he can have a great impact because of the consistency of length that he has shown. In the longer format, I feel Saini will have more edge. Deepak Chahar has been very good with his swing. He is someone who has been using the outswingers to great effect. Chahar's strength has been swing with the new ball while Saini's strength is his pace and Khaleel Ahmed has been good with his variations."
The series against South Africa will also see Rohit Sharma open the innings for the first time in international cricket. With Sharma at the top, the team management would be looking to finalize a solid opening combination moving forward.
