Kapil Dev credits IPL for producing quality Indian fast bowlers; praises the bench strength of the team
During a recent promotional event, India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev appreciated the high-quality fast bowling attack that the Indian team has at the moment. The legendary all-rounder credited the Indian Premier League for producing such talent besides praising the bench strength of the Indian team.
When asked about the improvement in the performances of the Indian fast bowlers, he said that the pacers have changed the face of Indian cricket in the last four-five years. He also stated that it does not matter where the bowlers stand in the rankings - what matters is how they perform their role for the team. Dev further added that he was really proud of the quality of the Indian fast bowlers.
Talking about the role of the IPL in the development of these players, the cricket expert said:
“It takes time to develop a pace attack. It feels good to witness the amount of cricket that is being played now. Because of IPL so many fast bowlers have got an opportunity. When you play more cricket, more players will come up. It is important to give youngsters opportunity to show their talent.”
He even heaped praise on the bench strength of the team as India has established itself as a powerhouse of the cricket world in the last decade.
The development of India's fast bowling attack
Ever since Virat Kohli took over the captaincy of the Indian Test team, the quality of the fast bowling unit has improved a lot. India now has five ‘A’ class fast bowlers, namely Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav and Deepak Chahar, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the sidelines as well.
The Men in Blue have been able to win multiple Test matches in overseas conditions thanks to their fast bowlers. They even registered their first-ever Test series win in Australia earlier this year and recently whitewashed the West Indies team away from home as well.
Currently, India are playing a 3-match Test series against South Africa. The 2nd Test of the series is underway in Pune. where Mayank Agarwal’s hundred has helped India gain the upper hand.
Also see – World Test Championship points table