Madan Lal was a member of the 1983 World Cup winning squad for India. He has observed the Indian cricket closely over the years and believes captain Virat Kohli is doing an ‘unbelievable’ job with the fast bowlers. Under Virat Kohli, the fast bowling pack of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav have excelled to the fore.
Their contribution has not only helped India become a dominant side across formats but also made Virat Kohli the most successful captain for India in Test cricket. After the series win against the West Indies last year, Virat Kohli surpassed MS Dhoni to become the most successful captain in the longest format for his side.
The way Virat Kohli encouraged the pacers, no other captain has done it: Madan Lal
Former India fast bowler believes Sunil Gavaskar began the culture of encouraging the pacers but the way Virat Kohli is taking it forward, no one else has done it. It has also resulted to the fast bowlers helping the national team win several matches in overseas conditions. Lal also believes these set of fast bowlers will continue to help the team win plenty of matches in future.
“The way Virat Kohli encouraged the pacers, no other captain has done it. I can bet on this. When you have a good pace attack. Going back 15-20 years, India did not win these many matches. Now you’re winning it because of the pace attack,” Madan Lal said on Sony Ten Pit Stop.
“Kohli knows that if his pace attack is good, he has more chances of helping the team win.
“I think this culture of encouraging pace bowlers was started by Sunil Gavaskar. The way Virat Kohli is doing it is unbelievable. He is on the right track with the pacers. You’ve got 4 or 5 bowlers who are going to win us a lot of matches in the near future.”
Lal also said Virat Kohli should be appreciated for his aggressive future.