India head coach Gautam Gambhir hailed Jasprit Bumrah as the best pacer in international cricket across formats and was happy that bowlers are getting the spotlight they deserve.
“Bumrah is the best fast bowler in the world in all three formats. And it’s [not] just his performance. It’s his hunger as well. The best part is that he wants to play as much Test cricket as he can, and there is no doubt about that,” said Gambhir when asked if the speedster is the most valuable player in the team.
“What he has done in the T20 format in the West Indies is comparable to what he can do in red-ball cricket (like) against England. I think it’s an honour to have someone like Bumrah playing for us and sitting in that dressing room. He can make a difference at any stage of the game. So yes, hopefully, we can do the same in this series and going forward as well,” he added.
“It has not happened often in India where we talk about bowlers. India, at one stage, was a batter-obsessed nation. You’ve got to give credit to Bumrah, (Mohammed) Shami, (Mohammed) Siraj, Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja, that we have started talking about the bowlers.”
The former India cricketer also batted away the notion that his side could take any opposition lightly on the eve of the first Test against Bangladesh.
“I have been a huge believer that we fear no one but respect everyone. And we don’t take any opposition lightly,” remarked Gambhir.
“That is what international cricket is all about. We respect Bangladesh, and we will always respect any opposition. But we have to go out there and play the brand of cricket that we want to play. We have got to try and give everything possible on the cricket field because that is what champion sides do. They don’t look at the opposition. They try to control the game. They try to play the way they want to play the game.”
Published - September 19, 2024 02:00 am IST
