“The people who used to like the Indian cricket team for their batting have now started cheering for us” – Shami on bowling unit’s rise

In the last decade, India’s fast bowling unit has grown by leaps and bounds, like the Indian stock market these days. From Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Umesh Yadav to Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, the pacers have delivered consistently. With the crop of Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar, Umran Malik, and Mohammed Siraj rising through the ranks, the future looks in safe hands.

Meanwhile, Indian cricket has always been known for its batting prowess. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh have dominated the front pages of the headlines.

There have been exceptions like Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, and Zaheer Khan but never in India’s folklore, have we had a potent pace battery, that has sent shivers down the opposition’s spine. With positive results to show not only in dominant Indian conditions but also all across the world, Indian fast bowlers are here to rule the world.

“The people who used to like the Indian cricket team for their batting have now started cheering for us. There is no greater happiness than this. People talk about the performance of the bowlers during the World Cup, but, if you have to look at the overall picture, you have to go back to 2013 and 2014. That is where the journey started,” Shami said in an interaction with News18.

“If we look at the facts now, we only had three fast bowlers performing in the World Cup this time, which makes us believe that we have set the benchmark for future bowlers. The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah came in after and then Mohammed Siraj. Like this, this team could set a benchmark on its own,” the pacer added.

Meanwhile, Shami is currently out of action as he is recuperating from an ankle injury. Shami missed the first two Test matches against England and he is unlikely to be back for the remaining three games.

The third Test match between India and England will be played at Rajkot from 15th February onwards.