India pacer Mohammad Shami acknowledged the impact of skipper Virat Kohli's aggressive mindset in national side's enhanced bowling depth, saying Kohli gives all bowlers the freedom they need to be able to express themselves, trust their strengths.
India's bowling attack, especially the fast bowling, is among the best in the world at the moment, with the likes of Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar performing at the top level and inspiring a number of promising youngsters that have emerged these recent years.
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“I believe as a unit you need to trust one another. I think in international cricket, fast bowlers would definitely perform well when they have the backing from the captain and he is one such personality," Shami said on 'Amstrad InsideSport Face 2 Face Cricket Series'.
"Virat loves to take on a challenge. He is clear with what he wants and he gives us the freedom to play to our strength and backs us with our decisions as well which has helped us perform better," he added.
Apart from the Kohli factor, Shami believes greater fitness standards and "culture of motivation" too have played their part.
"The biggest factor is the culture of motivation and fitness in the team. We have a unit of six-seven fast bowlers who have been playing since the last 5 years and no matter whom you choose they will give their 100 percent."
"If we keep on building this culture it is going to hugely benefit the junior levels. This is the basic reason that the reserve fast bowlers, U-19 ones, and others are showing great quality," he added.
Currently in UAE for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 where he has been Kings XI Punjab's (KXIP) only positive in an otherwise struggling pace unit, Shami also spoke on the influence that skipper KL Rahul and head coach Anil Kumble have had on the team.
“I have played with KL and I have worked with Anil sir for a long time. And I believe that it gets easier for a captain to manage a player if you have that understanding from a long time."
"And there are many players who have known each other in the squad. You just have to tell them once and they understand what they are trying it."
"This has helped us perform well as a unit and one person has to come out as a leader and Rahul is the perfect man for it. He is our keeper also which allows him to have a clear view of everyone," he signed off.
