This is the best generation of fast bowling India have produced: Ian Bishop

Team India currently holds a great lot of fast bowlers in their ranks. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have been lethal, quick and accurate. And, they always paved difficulty for the opposition batsmen. During a live session with Harsha Bhogle, Ian Bishop opened up over the same and pointed out that this culture began in the 2000s and now India is reaping its outcome.

In the ’70s and ’80s, West Indies bowling attack ruled international cricket. They had some of the finest all-time bowlers in their arsenal like Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall etc. They were no less than a nightmare for any batting line-up. Sometimes batsmen used to get hurt while facing their quick bowling. However, now the same thing is said for the current Indian bowlers, who are rated as the gems in modern-day cricket.

Ian Bishops feels it all started in the 2000s

Talking about India’s current pace attack, Ian Bishop said that they are currently the best ever. In his opinion, the culture of fast bowling was injected back in the 2000s itself. They produced a good crop of pacers like Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel and RP Singh that raised the bars for the news ones like Bumrah, Shami and others. Now, this current lot is taking India’s bowling level to a new high.

“It is perhaps the best generation of talents of fast bowling India have produced. And it started a while ago. We can go back to Zaheer (Khan), RP Singh, Munaf Patel and that little cluster that came through after (Javagal) Srinath, who followed Kapil Dev. It’s great to see,” he told Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz in Conversation.

According to the former West Indies cricketer, it was a great move by India to shift their focus towards their fast bowling. He feels that they were aware of the fact that to win away from home, the side needs some genuine pace bowlers. And, BCCI backed this approach, who prepared fast pitches for the upcoming generation instead of turning tracks.

“It seemed to me from the outside that there was a deliberate attempt by India to recognise that ‘batsmen were good, but if we have to win overseas, we have to get players from the MRF Pace Foundation and the NCA coming through, try to prepare pitches to encourage these faster bowlers rather than dusty turners’.

Ian Bishop praises Jasprit Bumrah

Ian Bishop praised Jasprit Bumrah as well and recited that he was not a fan of the 26-year-old earlier. But, he has impressed him with his evolution as India’s fast-bowling spearhead. Bishop cited that he grew watching some exceptional pacers like Wes Hall, Sir Richard Hadlee, Denniss Lillee, the Marshalls. But, the 52-year-old reckons that Bumrah is almost opposite to them stating that he is a generational talent with the best skillset in international cricket.

“I grew up on the history of the game and coming through, I had this whole concept of a fast bowler as someone with a long flowing run; someone like Wes Hall, Sir Richard Hadlee, Denniss Lillee, the Marshalls, the Holdings, so on and so forth. And Jasprit is exactly the opposite: it is a stuttering, short run.

“Until today, I’m amazed as to where the pace comes from. And he has got a serious skill set. The way he swung the ball in the Caribbean, for example, and the way he can up his pace and still apply control to it. And then when I hear him speak about the game and break the game down, there I see a generational talent. Once he can stay fit, he is an entire package,” Bishop further said.