Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev has heaped on the current Indian pace attack, terming it as the best in the business in the last 15 months.
Kapil’s comments come after the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami broke a 34-year-old record for the most number of wickets in a calendar year. The highly impressive troika claimed 136 wickets across Tests in South Africa, England, and Australia during 2018, which is more than the 130 scalps recorded by West Indies legends Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding in the year 1984.
Bumrah, who recorded the match-figures of 9/86 at MCG to win the Man-of-the-Match award, took 48 wickets at a remarkable average of 21.02 last year while Ishant and Shami recorded 41 and 47 scalps at 21.80 and 26.97 respectively.
"Beautiful, fantastic... in the last 15 months no other team has done so well in pace bowling. The Indian team has done so well, I don't have to say anything, they have done so well... it is unbelievable," Kapil quoted as saying by PTI.
"It is different (to see fast bowlers coming through in India). An Indian fast bowler coming out and playing so hard, sometimes you feel how the hell they are doing all that. But I think it is good to have a change of culture, a fast bowler is fantastic.
"It is not the last two years, the last 20 years hard work you can see the result. Result doesn't come overnight. Now we have set the benchmark very high. Now you will find more fast bowlers coming, better players will keep on coming because the trend of Indian cricket is moving on the better side," he added.
Talking about Indian captain Virat Kohli's on-field aggression which has drawn flak from various quarters, Kapil said it doesn’t matter as long as he and the team perform.
"Was (MS) Dhoni being so quiet was good for the game or bad for the game? Every leader comes out with his own thinking, it is up to you to take it. As long as he is performing on the field, you cannot expect two people to be the same.
"Why should we even compare or judge somebody. Judge his performance on the field how good he is... your liking and my liking can be different, it makes no difference. As long as the Indian team is winning that's what I look for," he said.
Kapil also highlighted the importance of preparation and said it was crucial to practice hard and sincerely.
"Every match you have to prepare yourself, you don't say because of Test match I have to prepare more. When you start thinking Test match is there, you are putting more pressure. You are not going to deliver the best. Your effort should be sincere and then leave it that day you play. Hard practice, a sincere effort is important.
"Virat Kohli is such a good player. The last Test he got zero, he had no intention to get zero but good players also make zero but hard work should be seen on the field and that's what matters," he concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
