Former Indian spinner Sunil Joshi heaps praise on Anil Kumble
Indian cricket team's recent performances in the international stage has caught quite a few eyes in the international arena. While some feel that the team has changed its approach in the Tests, the current members of the team feel it has more do with the new coach, Anil Kumble.
Former Indian spinner Sunil Joshi believes that there is no one better than Kumble to coach the young Indian team. Joshi, who represented India in 15 Test and 69 ODIs said that Kumble is exceptional in working with youngsters.
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With the Indian team doing a really good job in Tests lately, Joshi said that the some of the players will only get better under the guidance of Kumble. The left-arm spinner showered praise on Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for their deadly spin bowling in the Test series against New Zealand in the Test series.
Talking to Cricbuzz, Joshi was quoted as saying, "Ashwin is a smart cricketer. And he's only going to improve under the guidance of Anil Kumble. Not only him, all spinners will benefit from the brains and experience of Kumble. There's no better person than him to guide them at this moment."
Sunil Joshi came into the international limelight during a tri-series match in Nairobi in 1999. The slow left-armer rattled through a strong South African batting line-up and recorded figures of 10-6-6-5, seventh in the list of most economical bowling efforts in ODI history.
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When asked about the scarcity of quality left-arm spinners in the current generation and the ones present opting for the minimal use of flighted deliveries, Joshi said that the left-arm spinners of the current era are having a tough task in adapting to different formats of the game and hence it was understandable in their negligence towards flight.
"It all depends on the need of the hour. In T20 cricket, it is to restrict runs and bowl more dot balls. So it is quite understandable that bowlers bowl much flatter these days. But if you look at someone like Jadeja, he bowls slower in Tests compared to limited overs," he was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
The former cricketer said that the Indian team needed to be patient and careful with its spin bowlers given the amount of international cricket played these days and felt that Kumble had a brilliant cricketing mind which would help in the long run.