Glenn McGrath: Fast bowlers in India are getting better

08/29/2016

Former Australian pacer Glenn McGrath believes that the fast bowlers in India are getting better with time, and said that India is in very good hands with the young fast bowlers coming through. McGrath also praised Virat Kohli and joked that Kohli would have hit him everywhere had he bowled to him.

Arguably one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, Glenn McGrath is currently the director of coaching at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai. The Australian legend, who took 563 wickets in 124 Tests, shared his thoughts about the current state of Indian fast bowling, Virat Kohli, and Australia’s spin struggles in an interview to the Times of India.

Fast bowling has always been India’s Achilles heel, and it usually came to the forefront during India’s overseas tours. But, McGrath believes that the fast bowlers in India are getting better with time and said that India is in very good hands with the young fast bowlers coming through.

Fast bowlers in India are getting better."

“Ishant has been around for quite some time now. (Bhuvneshwar) Kumar swings the ball well, Shami has had a bit of success. Then you've got the new breed-Bumrah coming through. He's a bit unusual in the way he bowls,” said McGrath.

“Fast bowlers in India are getting better. There's more of them now. They're leaving more grass in the Ranji Trophy. A third of the wickets aren't too bad to bowl on for the fast bowlers. India is in very good hands with the young fast bowlers coming through. I hope they enjoy having me here (Chennai) and benefit from me being here,” the 46-year-old said.

Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli has been in terrific form in the past six months, and also took India to wins in two Tests and a series victory in the Caribbean. The Australian legend said that Kohli is currently up there with the best, and joked that Kohli would have hit him everywhere had he bowled to him.

“He's definitely up there. Virat plays with a lot of confidence. He's quite an aggressive batsman who likes to score. He's playing exceptionally well. He had a great Test career, taking over as captain, a lot of responsibility. As long as he's batting well, things would go well, if there's a form slump, I would be interested to see how he goes,” said McGrath.

It might've been a good thing, he might've hit me everywhere."

“He's a top batsman who enjoys scoring, so hopefully build some pressure ...take those scoring options away from him. I used to love bowling to Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, VVS Laxman, and Rahul Dravid, because I enjoyed the challenge to bowl to the best batsmen. Unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity to bowl to Virat. It might've been a good thing, he might've hit me everywhere!,” joked the former Aussie pacer.

Although India had a good run in Tests recently, McGrath’s former team, Australia, had a series to forget in Sri Lanka. They lost the series 0-3 and fell to third in the ICC Test rankings after crumbling against spinners. McGrath acknowledged Australia’s problem against spin, and said that the team needs to work hard on it before the India series.

“It's an issue, but it's up to an individual to devise a plan to counter it. Mathew Hayden is a good example because he didn't play spin that well and then he developed the sweep shot to combat it and played it very well. To be either super-defensive or aggressive probably isn't working. We've a fair bit of work to do between now and the Indian tour next year because the wickets are going to turn,” the Aussie legend said before concluding.

Glenn McGrath: Fast bowlers in India are getting better

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