Former left-arm seamer Karsan Ghavri reckons India has the best contemporary fast bowling attack in Test match cricket, far cry from the days Ghavri played his 39 Tests and 19 ODIs, when quick bowlers were the rarest of commodities in Indian cricket.
Ghavri was effusive in praise for the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar & co.
Read Also: Michael Holding fears over Jasprit Bumrah's longevity; heaps praise on Mohammad Shami
“India has the best fast bowling attack in the world, which is extraordinary,” Ghavri was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
"Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar... you cannot go wrong with these guys. They’ve been performing extremely well. To win a Test match, you need to take 20 wickets and due to these bowlers, India have been able to do so regularly and effectively."
Ghavri talked about Bumrah's remarkable journey from being looked down upon at the domestic level because of his awkward bowling action to becoming India's best all-format speedster in almost no time.
"In the beginning, when he (Bumrah) started playing Ranji Trophy for Gujarat, no one thought he would scale the peak he has because he had this unconventional action like Malinga," he said.
"He’s an extremely different bowler; he is no Dennis Lille or a Michael Holding. He’s worked extremely hard to reach where he has because with that sort of action, for Bumrah to maintain the kind of accuracy he has, is commendable. I never thought a fast bowler could have the kind of variety Bumrah has," Ghavri added.
"Initially, people thought he could only bowl inswingers, but today he can make the ball go away. Besides, he can bowl the best yorkers. He executes it nine out of ten times, which is something I thought I’d never see from an Indian bowler. He’s got a threatening bouncer and at the same time, an excellent slower bouncer. He’s the perfect all-round fast-bowling package."
In the left-arm variety, Ghavri, who was coach of the successful Saurashtra Ranji Trophy side earlier this year, thinks Jaydev Unadkat should've followed the footsteps of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra.
Ghavri believes Unadkat's form - 67 wickets at an astonishing average of just 13.24 in the 2019/20 Ranji season - deserves a comeback into the Indian team.
"Age (Unadkat is 28) might be a factor in his selection but I think Jaydev Unadkat deserves a shot. He’s been quite consistent in the last few years. The way he bowled last season, each and every game he was among the wickets. I feel he should be given one more chance, if not in Test cricket then definitely in ODIs and T20Is," said Ghavri.
(Inputs from HT)
