Mohammed Shami and Virat Kohli
The current Indian team is better than ever from a bowling point of view, reckons former Pakistan skipper Ramiz Raja as Virat Kohli and Co. gear up for the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand.
While the New Zealand side has already acclimatized to English conditions, the Indian fast-bowling quartet is expected to have a significant impact in Southampton. Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav will be crucial to India's chances of victory in the summit clash, scheduled to start from June 18 at the Ageas Bowl.
In an exclusive interaction with India TV, cricketer-turned-commentator Ramiz Raja heaped praise on the current India bowling set-up and also hailed coach Ravi Shastri for bringing a change in the system. The ex-Pakistan captain also praised Virat Kohli's leadership style.
"The Indian team is currently the best from a bowling point of view. On the batting front, I believe that there's still scope for improvement. Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, and Ganguly were a part of India's golden batting era. But from a winning point of view, especially in overseas conditions, the current Indian team has done a marvellous job. Coach Ravi Shastri also deserves credit for this," said Raja.
"At present, the Indian team is fearless while taking on any opposition including Pakistan. The cricketing system is also responsible for this change in Indian cricket. Virat Kohli and Shastri have created a winning environment in the team.
"Any new player who joins the Indian set-up knows demands in international cricket. So from a bowling point of view, the Indian team is better than ever. It has got variation as well as a good leader like Kohli," he further said.
Ramiz Raja also spoke on Kohli's century drought, saying that it's just a matter of time before the 'god-gifted' batsman converts his 50s into a three-figure score. Surprisingly, Kohli's last international ton was against Bangladesh in the Day/Night Test back in 2019.
"Statistics matter a lot in India's cricketing culture. Kohli might've not scored a hundred but the game isn't about individuals. If India is winning across all three formats, not scoring hundreds shouldn't bother a player like Kohli.
"It's just a matter of time before we see his hundred. If he plays straight, takes time to settle, and plays late in England, I'm sure he'll find his rhythm. When someone like Rishabh Pant scores 25 odd runs and wins a Test for India, his individual score won't matter. People see temperament in the traditional format of the game," he further said.
