Duncan Fletcher deserves credit for shaping up the Indian pacers: Nick Compton

Team India is slowly but surely putting the right step towards becoming a better travelling side in the longest format of the game. Previously, they were struggling to win due to the bowlers’ inability to pick 20 wickets. But the trend is changed now and there is also a competition between the fast bowlers to earn a place in the squad. The likes of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma are making a statement currently in the Test series against England.

Also, Mohammed Siraj and Rajneesh Gurbani are hovering around for some time now and might find themselves in the national team soon. With proper resources in store, the team is looking in good hands for the next few years as far as the fast bowlers are concerned and picking 20 wickets is no more a problem for India. In last 6 overseas Test matches, the Indians have managed to pick all opposition wickets in five matches and the only exception is the recent Lord’s Test match.

Meanwhile, Nick Compton feels that the former India coach Duncan Fletcher should be given a lot of credit for shaping the Indian pace attack during his tenure at the helm. The former Zimbabwe cricketer took over from Gary Kirsten post the 2011 World Cup victory and the team began to lose overseas in whites which led to a lot of bashing. But the captain then MS Dhoni was always in favour of Fletcher and backed him always.

It is a credit to him

Compton believed that the Indian bowlers are not bowling well suddenly and it is a process which began when Fletcher was the coach of the side. His inputs have worked for them over the years and it has come together for the visitors now according to England cricketer.

“India’s pace attack hasn’t come together all of a sudden. It has taken time and it has happened one by one, as all of these bowlers took their time coming off age. India didn’t have so many pacers at once earlier, but now they do. And all (most) of them, at some point have played under Fletcher, so it is a credit to him. This process (of building a pace attack) started long ago and it has come together for India now,” he was quoted as saying by Mid-Day.

He also showered praise on Fletcher for forming the careers of James Anderson and Stuart Broad who now have close to 1000 Test wickets between them. “You have to consider why the likes of Anderson and Stuart Broad have been so successful in their careers. They have a thousand wickets between them in Test cricket because they move the ball at pace. And it is no coincidence that both of them started their England careers under Duncan Fletcher,” Compton further added.

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