In Kohli’s absence, Rohit was wonderful as captain: Waqar
DUBAI — Waqar Younis never used the deadly yorker as a surprise weapon.
At his peak, it came relentlessly out of his hand from a beautiful action, leaving batsmen with broken stumps and battered morale.
And the iconic Pakistan fast bowler says India’s “professional” display at the Asia Cup hasn’t surprised him — even though the Indian team was missing their captain Virat Kohli. “See, Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli. You cannot really challenge that. But I think even without him this Indian team has really done well in the Asia Cup,” Waqar told Khaleej Times during an interview on Friday.
“Look India is a very professional outfit when it comes to playing in this part of the world. Playing on these pitches is very much like playing in India. They have got a world class openers. And it is very difficult when you have someone like Rohit (Sharma) and Shikhar (Dhawan) opening the innings and they are giving you a good partnership almost every time.”
The former Pakistan captain also praised Rohit’s captaincy at the Asia Cup. “Virat makes a massive difference at number three. But without Virat in the tournament, I think Rohit has done a wonderful job. He is very clam. His captaincy is growing every day. I have seen him do the captaincy in IPL as well. He is very calm. He likes to allow people to make their decisions. He allows people to make their moves. He is a wonderful captain,” the former Pakistan coach said.
But Waqar’s face breaks into a smile only when you ask him about fast bowlers.
And just like the Kohli-less India’s professional display in Asia Cup, the rise of India’s fast bowlers in recent times have failed to surprise the Pakistan legend.
“I am not surprised because India is a big country. I always feel that there is always talent around the country,” he said.
“Also cricket has expanded a bit more. It has reached a lot of different parts of the country now.
“And fast bowlers, you know, they are not from the rich families. They are from very poor families. These guys really work hard to get up there and IPL also has made a massive difference,” he added.
“You know there are platforms now which make a big difference, especially the IPL platform. Even the first class cricket standard in India is very good. I think that is the reason you see more fast bowlers in India now and they know their roles. “And they are very decent when you talk about their pace. So it is nice to see that,” said Waqar who took 789 international wickets in his career.
“Overall India have got so much talent in the fast bowling department as well as in the batting.
“But batting has always been there. Now the fielding standard has also been very high with all these youngsters showing their fitness and skills.” So does that make India a favourite for next year’s World Cup in Waqar Younis’s book?
“I mean India will always be the force going into the World Cup because with Virat Kohli coming back, they will develop into a very good side,” said Waqar who captained Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup.