Mumbai: While traditionally India always had a spin dominant attack on home soil, India's cricket teams have been known to struggle with the pace bowling especially overseas but the last few years saw a transformation with India's pace bowling, West Indies batting great Brian Lara has said the current side are a force to be reckoned with anywhere in the world.
Team India completed their 11th consecutive test series win at home last week when they took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ongoing Freedom Trophy against South Africa.
They are also the only unbeaten team in the ICC World Test Championship winning all the matches- two of them coming in the West Indies in their previous test series.
"We all know the Indian team was not the most respected when they travelled. They were very respected at home but now India on a world stage anywhere they play is a force to be reckoned with," Lara told reporters at an event in Mumbai on Thursday.
"I saw (India) in the West Indies and I must say what I was accustomed to in the past ... this is pretty special," he said.
"I thought their fast bowlers were sometimes unplayable," he said. "And the guys that you have on the sidelines, it reminds me a little bit of what the West Indies had back in the '80s and '90s ... the reserve strength is very important in assessing a team's ability."
"When you look at the quality - [Mohammed] Shami, [Jasprit] Bumrah, [Umesh] Yadav, Ishant Sharma they are unbelievable. And the guys that you have on the sidelines, it reminds me a little bit of what the West Indies had back in the '80s and '90s… the reserve strength is very important in assessing a team's ability. If your reserve strength is very good - Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] and all these guys are sitting on the sidelines - then it means that your attack is quality.
The Indian pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami in 2018 picked a record 142 wickets among themselves in Test matches.
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| Indian Fast Bowlers since 2018 |
West Indies had a fearsome fast-bowling attack in the '80s and '90s, with the likes of Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh dominating the opposition batsmen.
"Well, those teams dominated world cricket ... the West Indies in the '70s and '80s, the Australians in the '90s and the early part of the 21st century. India has that capability.
"They're now travelling well, they're playing abroad and beating oppositions, which is great. World cricket is a lot more competitive now - Australia, South Africa and England.
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"So India will have to do it over a period of time, dominating all teams to be considered. But they are definitely a top cricketing nation at the moment." India have occupied top spot in the world test rankings since late 2016 and lot of that credit, according to pundits, goes to their fast bowlers.
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