Houston, USA, February 25 (ANI): Former Pakistani cricketer Danish Kaneria praised the Indian bowling resources, saying that India is "working on the basics" and that is the reason why they are producing skilled talent.
The cricketer spoke to ANI following India's victory over Pakistan in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.
India is producing exceptional bowlers. There is a rigorous process. Sai Kishore is an outstanding spinner. He has to wait because Ravichandran Ashwin has retired, and Washington Sundar is currently playing. He has to wait for his opportunity, and when he gets it, he will seize it with both hands.
Sai Kishore, who represents Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has taken four wickets in three matches with an average of 15.75. He last played for India in the Asian Games held in Hangzhou in the previous year.
"Mayank Yadav possesses a lot of talent and is extremely skilled. There's another fast bowler, Umran Malik, who's also doing well. Many IPL bowlers are performing exceptionally in domestic cricket. The MRF Pace Academy is producing such players. They're focusing on the fundamentals. India has a fantastic product line, with talented bowlers emerging one after another," he added.
Mayank had a challenging 2024, marked by injuries. He initially gained recognition after delivering two 'Player of the Match' performances in his first three Indian Premier League (IPL) games for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where he impressed with his consistent pace of 150 kmph or more, precise line-and-length, and controlled bowling style. However, an abdominal issue forced him to withdraw from the tournament. Following his recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), he suffered another injury while bowling.
In October of last year, he made his Indian debut. In his first match, he consistently achieved a speed of 145 kmph in his four-over spell and finished the series with four wickets. As excitement about his potential with the Indian team and fans' hopes of seeing him and Jasprit Bumrah together were growing, he suffered an injury before the T20Is against South Africa in November of last year. He has not played in competitive cricket since then, but his potential and speed led to the LSG investing Rs 11 crores in retaining him during the mega auction.
Umran rose to prominence in the IPL 2022 with a 20-wicket season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he reached speeds of 150 kph on a few occasions. He has represented India in 10 ODIs and eight T20Is, taking 13 wickets and 11 wickets respectively. His last appearance for India was in July 2023. (ANI)