Coming down heavily on the current crop of Indian pacers, former captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday said that they lacked the "attitude" and "strength" to bowl fast.
|Last Updated: Aug 11, 2012, 12:18 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Coming down heavily on the current crop of Indian pacers, former captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday said that they lacked the "attitude" and "strength" to bowl fast.
"Our bowlers have no strength. When Munaf Patel, Zaheer Khan arrived they had a lot of pace but gradually they dropped down. It`s an attitude thing, to bowl fast. But the Indian bowlers think much rather than bowling fast," Ganguly said.
"They have to be like Shoaib Akhtar, who thinks nothing other than bowling fast. Glenn McGrath was brilliant in Australian conditions, while Wasim Akram was difficult in subcontinent wickets, especially with the older ball," Ganguly, whose favourite bowler is retired Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, said.
The 40-year-old former player, however, was all praise for the country`s batsmen, especially Virat Kohli, who he touted as the future of Indian cricket.
"He is not only the next star; the future of Indian cricket rests on Kohli," Ganguly said while interacting with school children during a promotional event here today.
"The future of Indian cricket will always be good with so much of interest in the sport."
Ganguly also added that Kohli, Manoj Tiwary and Cheteshwar Pujara have the ability to replace the three biggies of Indian cricket -- Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid.
"They all have talent. The transition happens over a period of time. It will take some time."
Meanwhile, with two Bengal players -- Tiwary and Ashok Dinda -- being picked in the national Twenty20 side, Ganguly said the state`s future looks bright.
"To be specific, we have five players -- Tiwary, Dinda, Wriddhiman Saha, Anustup Majumdar and Sami Ahmed -- who not only have the ability but the temperament to play for India," he insisted.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.