Former West Indies cricketer and commentator Ian Bishop has revealed that he did not foresee the kind of improvement Indian fast bowlers have shown over the years. Bishop, however, said that he always believed in the Indian pace attack's potential. The former Windies speedster credited India’s success in the fast bowling department due to the foundation laid by Kapil Dev followed by some other pacers like Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, and Sreesanth.

“Let's remember that this group of bowlers did not emanate right now. The foundation was laid - if you go back to Kapil [Dev] and down the line, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Sreesanth. And now it's been built on with a captain who likes fast bowlers, who believes in them. But also the fact that you've found a generational talent in Jasprit Bumrah. Generational because he plays all formats of the game very well. I couldn't have predicted that. And [Mohammed] Shami has taken his game to another level. Ishant [Sharma] has also gone up another level, which I didn't foresee,” Bishop was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. Virat Kohli Overtakes Steve Smith to Become Number One Test Batsman Once Again, Check Latest ICC Test Rankings for Batsmen.

Bishop also credited bowling coach Bharat Arun for the current bowling unit’s success. “I couldn't have predicted that India's fast bowlers would come to the Caribbean, for example, and do to us what we did to them so many decades ago! So credit to Bharat Arun, the bowling coach, and the administrators and captains. I couldn't see this much (improvement), but I thought there was a great deal of promise in having guys who could bowl close to, or over, 90mph,” Bishop added.

When asked about which fast bowlers across the world will make you switch on the TV, Bishop named Jofra Archer, young Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. India vs West Indies T20I 2019: 5 Records & Stats You Need to Know Ahead of IND vs WI Twenty20 Series.

Bishop goes on to praise Shami and said, “oh god, I love Shami! That whole core group of what India bring, where I don't want to pick anyone and say, 'this one more than the other'.”

Bishop, who has 161 wickets against his name in 43 Tests, said he is eagerly waiting to see the progress of Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti. The duo was part of India’s U19 squad which won the Under-19 ICC Cricket World Cup in 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 04, 2019 03:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).