Gautam Gambhir credits former Indian skipper Virat Kohli for revolutionizing pace attack in Tests
Under Kohli, India won 40 out of 68 Test matches.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir gave credit to Virat Kohli for building a strong bowling unit during his tenure as captain. Under his leadership, India won 40 out of 68 Test matches, which is the most by any Indian captain in history. He has changed the culture in the national team and focused on the growth of pace bowlers as, during his tenure, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav dominated on overseas conditions.
Gambhir noted Kohli’s role in the pace revolution and talked about his attitude while playing away from home. Under Kohli, India have won Test matches in England, South Africa and Australia, where the team has traditionally struggled in the past. Speaking about the journey, Gambhir stated the importance of having a strong bowling unit and added that Test matches can only be won by taking 20 wickets.
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“What you did brilliantly was that you have built a really, really strong bowling unit. Test matches are won by taking 20 wickets. Till the time you don’t have a strong bowling line-up (one can't win). And that’s what made you the most successful Test captain in the country. The credit has to go to you. As a batter, it’s easy to have strong six, seven batters but the way you identified and more importantly, the attitude you had on the field with the fast bowlers. Having Shami, Bumrah, Ishant, Umesh and winning overseas,” Gambhir told Kohli in an interaction on BCCI.
Bumrah is the most complete all-format bowler: Kohli
Speaking about India’s bowling culture, Kohli stated that Ishant Sharma represented India in over 100 Test matches, while Zaheer Khan is one of the legends of the game. He also talked about how Mohammed Shami has been an asset to the Indian Test team while called Bumrah to the most complete all-format bowler.
“When you talk about Ishant Sharma, the first thing that comes to my mind is the spell at Perth to Ricky Ponting (during 2007-08 tour) as a youngster. If you talk about his cricket career, Ishant Sharma, 100+ Test matches for India. Zaheer Khan, these many wickets for India in Test cricket and a great 50-over World Cup. Mohammed Shami is not a world-renowned bowler because he is a great T20 bowler. He’s one the best Test bowlers in the world and what he did in the 50-over World Cup, adds value. Bumrah is the most complete all-format bowler,” Kohli said.
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