After making it nine out of nine in the round-robin stage of the World Cup, the Indian team is set to lock horns with New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 15 in a repeat of the 2019 World Cup semi-final.
Ahead of the high-octane encounter between the Men in Blue and the Black Caps, legendary Indian spinner Erapalli Prasanna, in an exclusive interview with RevSportz, talked about a range of things, starting from India’s dominant pace attack, Rohit Sharma’s leadership, Virat Kohli’s class and more.
Here are the excerpts:
Subhayan: What has impressed you the most about the Indian team in this World Cup?
Prasanna: The performances have been incredible. Full credit goes to the bowling side. I know the batting unit has always been strong, but I somewhat felt that, in the past, we were not able to take wickets at crucial stages, which is necessary to win. Being a spinner, I am delighted to see that Ravindra Jadeja has become a much improved spinner and grown in confidence in white-ball cricket.
I am also very happy to see how Kuldeep Yadav is enjoying the confidence that the captain has shown in him and in his own capabilities, which I think has been a key for the Indian team to keep winning matches so far in the tournament.
What is the redeeming feature of this Indian team? The way they have bowled from 20 to 40 overs. The pacers are doing an excellent job, but whenever the pacers are struggling to get breakthroughs, the spinners have given them the wickets. Kuldeep, with his left-arm chinaman style, is confusing world cricket because he has so many variations. Like former Australian spinner Brad Hogg, whom Bishan Singh Bedi and I had guided in Chennai after he made his debut. I am loving the way Kuldeep and Jadeja are operating in the middle overs.
Subhayan: You played at a time when the spinners used to dominate and pacers had little work to do. How heartening is it to see this Indian pace attack top the charts?
Prasanna: Those were the days when pacers were there for the sake of it until Kapil Dev came into the picture. We had great spinners like Bedi, BS Chandrasekhar and S Venkataraghavan. Pacers hardly had a role to play and their absence was never felt. Kapil made a real impact as an all-rounder, but I always admired the way he bowled. He was the trendsetter for the pacers to come.
Now, we have a menacing attack. Menacing is a very important word. Jasprit Bumrah is different, Mohammed Siraj is different and I admire Mohammed Shami. There’s no one like Shami. His ability, consistency, and the way he can move the ball off the wicket — that’s where his real strength lies. If the wicket is helping a spinner, then it will help the seamer too. It provides a little bit of hold, so a bowler like Shami will enjoy bowling on that track, which he is doing right now.
They may not be as fast as Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshal, or some other quicks of the past, but they are fast enough to plant doubts in the minds of the opposition.
Subhayan: The Indian batting unit has been equally impressive, led by the world-class duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. What are your thoughts on the way Rohit and Virat are batting?
Prasanna: If you observe India’s batting in this World Cup, the way Rohit is leading the way is amazing. In the power play, he is using the field restrictions to his advantage. He has an excellent cricketing brain, he is using the initial overs to kill the opposition. And also, Shubman Gill has extraordinary potential. I am sure that in the years to come, Gill is going to rule cricket world.
Obviously, the Indian batting revolves around Rohit, Gill and Kohli, about whom there is nothing more to add. If someone talks ill about Kohli, then he is stupid. He is in a different league altogether. There are many youngsters in this set-up who will serve India for many years. Without hesitation, I can say that Indian cricket is going to dominate the world for the next 10 years comfortably, unless our bowling fades away, because it is our bowling that is providing that silver lining.
Batting will always be there in India. It is bowling that gives you the edge in world cricket. If the second line of our bowling attack, after the likes of Shami, Bumrah, Siraj, Kuldeep and Jadeja isn’t strong, then I feel the Indian team would struggle to make the same impact.
Subhayan: You have seen the greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and now Kohli. Not comparing them, but is Virat the best batter India has ever produced, especially in ODIs?
Prasanna: Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Kohli are different batters. One is a slow assassin and that is Gavaskar. He is technically correct, and he will not create an impression on the opposition that he will kill you, but he will. Whereas, Sachin and Kohli will destroy you straightaway. They are merciless.
Kohli is in an extremely different league because he is very intelligent. He can organize his innings whenever he wants and do whatever the need of the hour is. He has understood the 50-over and 20-over formats inside out as a batter, which I feel many top cricketers have failed to do. Many play in a reflective manner, ‘okay, you bowl and I bat’, but Kohli understands how to play in different situations. That’s why I say Kohli is No 1.
Subhayan: How impressive has KL Rahul been — both with the bat and gloves?
Prasanna: Firstly, I am extremely happy that he is not opening the innings. He is technically very sound, but he is coming from a position where if India is struggling, he can pull the side up, and if India is looking for acceleration, he can do it as well.
As far as wicketkeeping is concerned, I was not aware that he was such a good keeper. I always knew him as a batter. In 20-over and 50-over games, he is doing an excellent job as a keeper, but I doubt whether he can be an excellent keeper for a five-day game. Let us be honest. I have seen keepers like Syed Kirmani, Farokh Engineer and Budhi Kunderan and I have heard of Narendra Tamhane. I don’t think Rahul qualifies in that bracket as of now, but if he manages to do so in the future, then I will bow myself in front of him.
Subhayan: A final question but a burning one. Can India win the World Cup?
Prasanna: If they can’t win the World Cup now, I don’t think they will ever win it. This is the best side with the best combination of batting and bowling. I think India is at its very best. There’s only one factor in cricket, and that is the law of averages. Unless that strikes, India, whether they bat first or bowl first, should win this World Cup.