"Their bowlers have now started eating meat" - Shahid Afridi underlines reason behind Indian seamers performing well
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has pointed out the reason Indian bowlers have performed well in world cricket in recent years. The 43-year-old believes as the Indian bowlers have started eating meat, they have gained strength.
The last few years have seen India's rise as a fast-bowling powerhouse, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Siraj being in the limelight. The younger crop comprising Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh is equally impressive.
Speaking to a local sports show, Afridi recalled that Pakistan used to produce sensational players previously, but reckons India are in that position currently, given their good utilization of talent.
"India has a huge 1.4 billion population, and the quality of cricket has changed [over the years]. Back then we used to say that they are producing great batters while Pakistan is creating good bowlers, but that was not the case as we were generating both bowlers and batters. However, their bowlers have now started eating meat, so they have gained strength," he explained.
Siraj is currently the No.1-ranked bowler in ODIs following his stunning spell in the Asia Cup 2023 final against Sri Lanka. The Hyderabad-born pacer registered his career-best figures of 6/21 to skittle Sri Lanka out for only 50.
"The BCCI invested in the right place" - Shahid Afridi
Afridi went on to credit the likes of Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and Rahul Dravid for continuously cultivating talent in India.
"First Sourav Ganguly made so many changes during his captaincy and then the way MS Dhoni carried all the seniors with him. They [BCCI] invested in the right place. They improved their grassroots level cricket by giving the entire domestic system to a player like Rahul Dravid, who knows what the kids [domestic players] need to reach the top," he said.
"They worked hard, and now they keep on producing talents. If India want, they can create two teams now. They invested at the right place and now the people of India are diverting their attention towards it [bowling]. They built camps and the talent is coming," Afridi added.
Team India opened their 2023 World Cup campaign in style, beating Australia by six wickets on Sunday.