Shaun Pollock: India’s fast-bowling department has become strong

Gone are the days when India would struggle to find a good third or back-up seamer, says Pollock.

Former South Africa seamer, Shaun Pollock.

Gone are the days when India would struggle to find a good third or back-up seamer as its fast-bowling department had become strong, former South Africa seamer Shaun Pollock has said.

“Yeah, [India] are really in a strong position now [with regard to fast bowling]. The depth in bowling, the different variations, you have got some tall guys, shorter guys, quick, skilful, shaping the ball and you can decide in between them and you can have a real good balance,” Pollock said on Sony Ten Pit Stop .

Srinath-Prasad duopoly

Pollock recalled there was a period when India did not have replacement bowlers for Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad. “If you decide to go with three or even four seamers, you now have got guys who can step in. In the years gone by, you might have had a Srinath or a Venkatesh Prasad, but then the replacement bowler - third bowler or backup bowler - was not of the same quality and that’s where I thought they were letting themselves down,” Pollock said.

In a recent chat, Jasprit Bumrah had told him about the competition among Indian bowlers, Pollock revealed. “We had a chat with Bumrah the other day, and he was saying everyone is competing, ready to go, you really have to keep performing and if you don’t have a good few games, then someone can step in and take your place. So, that’s a good situation for India,” he said.