"They are on the level with pacers Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar and Waqar Younis" - Basit Ali hails Indian bowlers after 2024 1st Test win vs BAN
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has praised the Indian bowling attack by placing them on level terms with the legendary trio of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar after their comprehensive win in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. India dismissed a Bangladesh side coming off an impressive away Test series win against Pakistan for sub-par scores of 149 and 234 to complete a 280-run victory.
The wickets were split between the pacers and the spinners, with the former bagging eight of the 10 scalps in the first innings and the latter delivering nine of the 10 wickets in the second innings.
Talking about the Indian attack post-game, Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel as quoted by the Hindustan Times:
"The Indian bowling unit is so impactful that they are on the level with pacers Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, and Waqar Younis. Right now, Mohammed Shami is not playing."
Basit also mentioned budding speedster Mayank Yadav as a dangerous bowler and his wish to see him play in Australia.
"Mayank Yadav's ball is very dangerous. His bouncer is accurate. I wish to see him play a Test match in Australia," he added.
Mayank came into the limelight with his immaculate pace and accuracy causing havoc to the batters during IPL 2024.
However, he was sidelined by a side strain injury after only four games, where he picked up seven wickets at an average of 12.14.
"We want to build our team around strong bowling options" - Rohit Sharma
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma praised the bowlers for their admirable effort in batting-friendly conditions during the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.
Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah was the wrecker-in-chief with his four wickets in the first innings, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took center stage in the second innings with a six-wicket haul.
During the post-match presentation, Rohit said:
"We want to build our team around strong bowling options, we have to be ready to face whatever the conditions offer. Gotta give credit to the bowlers who want to take responsibility. It was a beautiful pitch, red soil always offers a lot. You have to be patient. You've gotten used to things happening every ball in India, but it wasn't the case here."
The win helped India take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series with the second Test set to be played in Kanpur, starting September 27.