Mohammed Shami says bowling with controlled line and length makes Indian pacers more dangerous than England seamers, ahead of the fourth Test at Southampton
India head coach Ravi Shastri interacts with his players during a training session yesterday. Pic: AP/PTI
The sight of Prithvi Shaw, 18, getting up on his toes and playing a back foot punch against one of the Indian fast bowlers is one to savour. Watching it from close proximity, one realises the immense talent of Shaw, but it is what follows that is arguably more pleasing from the Indian team's perspective. Mohammed Shami runs in and beats Shaw with a perfect leg-cutter. This is followed by Jasprit Bumrah, who jags one off the deck sharply and has Shaw beaten for pace.
Then comes, Umesh Yadav, who bowls the youngster a hostile bouncer. All this is followed by Shardul Thakur's perfect outswinger that finds the edge. For the next 20 minutes, one is once again reminded of the rising stocks in the fast bowling department. Next to the practice pitch where the Indian seamers are giving Shaw a stern test, is the 22-yard-strip for tomorrow's fourth Test match against England. Surprisingly, the green strips that greeted India in the first three Tests has vanished. Either it is due to the soil in Southampton or perhaps England have realised that giving this much-famed Indian pace bowling unit any advantage is flirting with disaster.
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Asked at the press conference if teams now think twice before dishing out a green top to India, pacer Shami said: "Our country has got such a bowling attack after a long time and if you compare one-on-one [with England or any other opponent], we have better bowlers. "Sure the responsibility is on us to deliver in these conditions and on such wickets. However, as far as the pace attack is concerned, we try our best and we have been trying our best [even] in the last series [in South Africa]... you have seen, we have done our job well."
While the Indian bowlers have more pace than their respective counterparts, Shami believes this attack is more than about blasting out a side with hostility. "Under any conditions, pace is important. But what matters more is how consistent you are in your line and length. After that, if you bowl quick and can get reverse swing, then you get more benefit out of pace. We have a pace battery that bowls a controlled line and length," he said. Shami, however, brushed aside the thought of playing all four seamers on Thursday. "It's hard to decide to field five quicks in a Test match. According to me, you need a spinner because, on the fifth day, it will turn for sure."
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