Veteran pacer Mohammad Shami on Monday (October 21) heaped praise on young tearaway Mayank Yadav, hailing him as the future of India bowling.
According to Shami, youngsters like Mayank Yadav and Harshit Rana have the capability to carry forward the baton of Indian fast bowling.
Shami has been out of action since the ODI World Cup final in November last year. The right-arm quick underwent an operation on his Achilles tendon earlier this year, and is currently working on his recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
“The best thing that has happened for Indian cricket is that our pace bowling strength has really gone up. Earlier, we used to have only a few bowlers who used to bowl 140-145 km/h but now even those bowlers who are at the bench are bowling above 145. One of the names that have really impressed me in pace bowling is Mayank Yadav. He is really impressive, he is someone who will carry the baton of Indian pace bowling in the future,” said Shami at an event organised by Eugenix Hair Sciences in Gurugram.
“We have worked as a unit since 2014. India never had three bowlers at a time who could bowl over 140kph. Now we have some on the bench who can bowl 145kph. This generation knows how to fight back, and we've shown that overseas,” he added.
Shami bowled for more than an hour at full tilt in the nets after the conclusion of India's first Test against New Zealand at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. With heavy strapping on his left knee, he bowled under the watchful eyes of bowling coach Morne Morkel and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.
Despite the rigorous session, the 34-year-old reported no discomfort and expressed confidence in his progress.
With a month remaining for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, Shami is focused on his fitness and is looking to return to domestic cricket as a stepping stone.
If his recovery goes as planned, Shami could feature in a few Ranji Trophy matches or even participate in a three-day warm-up game between India and India A in Perth ahead of the first Test Down Under.
Reflecting on the challenges of returning from injury, Shami said: "It's very difficult to come back on track after an injury, so patience is the biggest thing. Injuries teach you patience and make your skill purer."
(With IANS Inputs)
