"India's pace strength reminds me of West Indies in the 80s and 90s", says Brian Lara

The likes of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami have been outstanding for India.

The pace trio has excelled under Virat Kohli's leadership | Getty

India's current group of fast bowlers remind legendary Brian Lara of the quality of pace talent that once the Caribbean islands produced for West Indies. 

Lara showered a rich compliment on the likes of Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami who have together been magnificent for India in the last two years. 

"It's the Indian pace attack. Unbelievable. I saw them in the West Indies. When you look at the quality -- (Jasprit) Bumrah, (Mohammed) Shami, (Umesh) Yadav -- all these guys, and the guys on the sidelines, like Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) are unbelievable," the great West Indies batsman was quoted as saying by PTI

Read Also: Jasprit Bumrah relives his cricketing journey with an emotional Twitter post

"It reminds me a little bit of the (pace bowling) strength that the West Indies had in the 80s and 90s. The reserve strength is very important in assessing a team's ability. It means that your attack has quality."

Lara also heaped effusive praise on Indian skipper Virat Kohli for leading the No.1 Test side extremely well since 2015. 

"He's (Kohli) the ultimate captain. In terms of his performances, he leads by example. And I mean that in all facets of the game, and off the field too. He is came off very well in the background of MS Dhoni, who laid the foundation, and did things in a different way," Lara said. 

"So, I think Indian cricket, as we all know, is headed in the right direction. It's influenced by some of the best people, and is reaping the benefits of it."

The 50-year-old backed Rohit Sharma to come good as a Test opener and finally cement his place in the longest format of the game as well. 

"I think that Rohit is an awesome player in all formats of the game. Obviously, in the limited overs game, he's been very successful."

"I don't see any reason why he should not be in Test cricket. It seems that he has the passion to play and wants to prove himself on that stage (Test cricket) as well," he added. 

"To exclude a player like that (from the Test team) will be very difficult, with the talent that I see. So, hopefully, he will be successful. He is a gifted batsman."

(Inputs from PTI)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 18 Oct, 2019

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