Mohammed Shami Hails Cultural Shift For The Evolution Of The Indian Fast Bowling In Recent Years

Mohammed Shami, the member of the Indian golden generation of fast bowling, has reckoned that the current team is blessed with natural fast bowlers unlike the previous Indian team, hailing a cultural shift in attitude towards fitness as one of the key reasons behind the renaissance.

The Indian fast bowling group, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Shami himself, have been wreaking havoc on opposition batsmen courtesy their sustained pace, skills and hostility in the past 3-4 years.

“There is a difference in culture in the teams of the past and now. There used to be one or two bowlers who could clock 140kmph regularly. We have to accept that we didn’t have a fast-bowling culture in the past. But now touchwood, we have 5-6 bowlers who can regularly bowl at 140-plus,” Mohammed Shami said on Salaam Cricket 2020.

Also Read: Irfan Pathan Reckons That The Current Indian Fast Bowling Group Is Inspiring Young kids To Take Up Fast Bowling

‘Opponents now think a lot about what kind of pitches they want to offer’- Mohammed Shami

Shami added that with the Indian bowlers possessing all the components required to succeed in varied conditions, the opposition also has to think twice before preparing a certain type of pitch.

“They have the pace, swing, bounce, everything is there. We are happy that this unit has great bonding, we crack jokes on the ground stay together, and the biggest thing now is that opponents now think a lot about what kind of pitches they want to offer the Indian team when we travel abroad,” Mohammed Shami added.

Earlier, Irfan Pathan on Salam Cricket 2020, had heaped praise on the current fast bowling attack. Irfan said that the likes of Shami, Bumrah, Ishant, and others have made fast bowling ‘beautiful’ and in the process, they are inspiring young kids to take up the art.

“Young kids want to become fast bowlers because of people like Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav. Credits goes to these players because they have made fast bowling beautiful to watch. Watching them bowl with swing and seam movement is wonderful. You need tremendous fitness and skills to do that,” Irfan Pathan said.

Since the start of 2017, the Indian pace battery has claimed 371 wickets in a total of 201 innings. And, their average of 22.75 is comfortably the best in the world. During this period, Shami has emerged as the highest wicket-taker for Team India and the fifth-highest in the world-104 wickets in 27 Tests at an average of 23.52.