Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s credentials have been endorsed by none other than the iconic Glenn McGrath. In an interview with Times of India, the veteran seam bowler gave his thoughts on the 22-year old’s action and how the fearless approach of modern batsmen has forced bowlers to develop plenty of variations.
McGrath who is currently in Chennai mentoring promising fast bowlers in MRF’s Pace Academy enthused, “I feel that the batsmen will keep facing difficulties in handling Bumrah if he consistently bowls those yorkers. He has got an unusual action and batsmen will need time to adjust to it. Bumrah trained here two years back and has improved a lot.”
The 46-year old who was renowned for his metronomic consistency has taken a staggering 949 international wickets across all formats. When quizzed about the challenges facing present-day bowlers, McGrath quipped, “There has been a remarkable change in the way the bowlers are looking to go about their job nowadays. The bowlers have learnt to have better control and the margin of error has reduced.“
Elaborating on the growing trend of bat dominating ball, he said, “Yes, the current generation shows no fear in chasing big totals. The attitude has changed. Earlier, 200 was a defendable total in 50-over games and now 300 is not. With the wickets becoming batsmen friendly, chasing down a big target has become easier.”
When the focus shifted towards the upcoming ICC World T20, the ‘Pigeon’ believed, “India are the favorites. They play the format well and the conditions favorable. They can go all the way.”
The 3-time 50 overs World Cup winner with Australia hoped that his country would finally add their only missing trophy to their cabinet. McGrath claimed, “It can happen anytime as Australia take their T20 games very seriously.Australia generally play well in Indian conditions and I am sure they'll play with a lot confidence this time.”
In reply to a question on Steven Smith’s astonishing rise as a batsman and captain, McGrath asserted, “I am a big fan of Smith. He is not the conventional cricketer. Technically he may not be as good as others but he gets you the results, which is more important.
“I love his attitude and he is a very tough guy to bowl to. Skills can only get a batsman to a certain level. Attitude can make you a great cricketer and Smith has plenty of it.”
However, he remained diplomatic on the recent fallout between fellow countrymen Steve Waugh and Shane Warne. With a grin, the fast bowler implied, “They are excellent players and both are good friends of mine. As a captain, you have to take some tough decisions.
“Steve has been a great captain and has led the team by example. But yes, people comment differently and it was Shane's personal opinion. I must thank Shane for helping me form a good partnership and help me take so many wickets. Just like batsmen, we bowlers too have to bowl in tandem and I am lucky to have enjoyed a great partnership with Warne.”
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