With the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami forming a formidable fast-bowling bowling lineup for Team India, bowling legend Glenn McGrath has expressed his delight over the emergence of quality pacers from India. With conditions in the Indian continent not favourable for a fast-bowler, the former Australia bowler feels becoming a quality pacer in the country is the ‘toughest job in the world’
“To see so many fast bowlers come through (from India) is wonderful. To be a fast bowler in India is the toughest job in the world. The wickets here are conducive to spin and batting. One has to really work hard as a bowler, especially a paceman. To see (many) people bowling at 140 kph-plus, high 140s (kph) is promising,” he told PTI in an interaction.
Lavishing praise on all the current Indians Pacers separately, McGrath feels Umesh Yadav is doing the best job in the lot.
“They are going well. Umesh (Yadav) is doing exceptionally well at the moment, bowling at a good pace and picking up wickets too. (Bhuvneshwar) Kumar knows his game pretty well, gets it in the right areas; swings it at a recent pace.
“Jasprit Bumrah, we have done a little bit of work with him, has a unique action and is a unique bowler. He has done well in the shorter versions of the game, the T20s and ODIs and bowls at the death. He is very intelligent with the way he bowls at the death. I have been impressed and he can get better. The Indian team’s bowlers are looking very good,” said McGrath, who took 563 wickets in 124 Tests and 381 scalps in 250 ODIs.
He further said that Jasprit Bumrah can also excel in the longest format of the game. The right-arm pacer, who played an integral role in Mumbai Indians’ victorious IPL campaign this year, made his limited-overs debut in Australia last year but is yet to get a call for the Test team.
“Of course, he can. I think he bowls yorkers really well. He has got a good slower ball. Those things are good for the shorter version of the game. With the longer version, it is just about building pressure and having good control. If you are successful in one form of the game, you can transfer that to the other. He is good enough,” McGrath said.
When asked about the current best pacer in the world, McGrath chose his compatriot Mitchell Starc.
“When he is on the song, it is Starc. When he is swinging the new ball at around 150-155 kph, bowling attacking lengths, he is lethal,” McGrath said.
McGrath, who has completed five years at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai as its director, further expressed his delight over seeing a crop of quality pacers emerging from the academy
“I feel happy to see many of the boys come through. Some of them are performing well. Look at Basil Thampi, who won the emerging player award in the recent IPL. Hopefully, I have added some of my experience to the boys. I have also learnt a lot myself, probably on the technical side,” McGrath said.