The Indian bowling attack has terrorised opposition batters in the longest format of the game with their consistency, pace and the hunger to pick wickets. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav have arguably formed one of the most threatening pace attacks in the world. Virat Kohli reckons the Indian pace battery is the best in the world and the Indian skipper is proud to have witnessed their rise in the longest format of the game.
Kohli, ahead of the two-match Test series opener against Bangladesh in Indore, revealed that he wanted to see India’s pacer dominate world cricket when he took over the captaincy from MS Dhoni. Kohli stated that India were lacking the firepower to pick-up 20 wickets in a Test match following the retirement of Indian stalwarts such as Zaheer Khan.
“Well, if you ask we are right at the top. I won’t even count ourselves among the top 3. These guys deserve it. When we started off, that was the conversation. When I took over as captain, I really wanted to see our fast bowlers dominate world cricket,” Kohli said on the eve of their first Test against Bangladesh in Indore.
“Spin was never an issue, batting was never an issue. After Zak (Zaheer Khan) and all these stalwarts went away, we were thinking how can we get back to the top and have the ability and the firepower to pick up 20 wickets,” the Indian skipper added.
“Just see the way they have bowled. It’s their belief that stands out. Any kind of pitch, any kind of opposition. They believe they can get more out of any pitch than the opposition. That belief matters a lot.
Kohli further said that the best thing about this Indian pace attack is that they are getting hungrier with each passing match and love bowling together as a unit. The swashbuckling batter added that the trust and belief they have in each other is their biggest strength.
“I couldn’t be more happy for them. The best thing is they are still not done yet. They are getting hungrier every time they go out. And they love bowling together. I think that’s their biggest strength. The trust, the camaraderie and the belief they have are pushing this team forward,” said the captain.
