Ravi Shastri, former Indian cricket team
head coach, said Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah are three
“brilliant” cricketers who are “far more experienced than the previous
generations”.

“They are brilliant! Pant, Shubman
Gill, Bumrah – it has only been a couple of years since they made their India
debut. They have the same belief as their predecessors; it’s just that the
exuberance of youth and the fearlessness is far greater. They come in far more
experienced than the previous generations,” Shastri said in an interview
with The Week.

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Shastri has recently stepped down as Team
India head coach after being at the helm for around four years. During his
tenure, he saw MS Dhoni taking retirement after winning three ICC trophies for
India while a bunch of youngsters made their debut for India.

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Shastri also
oversaw the emergence of a fearsome pace quartet, which made India indomitable
abroad. As India’s style of play changed, they emerged as a dominant force on
overseas conditions. A series win in Australia and a 2-1 lead in England in a
cancelled Test series in 2021 are testaments to India’s abilities.

While Gill is now a regular top-order
batter for India in Test cricket, Delhi Capitals captain Pant and Bumrah have
proved themselves as the team’s vital cogs across the three formats.

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Bumrah,
28, has been Team India’s mainstay in the pace attack in all three formats. He
has already taken 101 wickets in Tests and 108 in ODIs and 66 in T20Is, while
Pant, 24, has been an important middle-order batter for India. He is also
adding value as an ever-improving wicket-keeper. Gill, 22, on the other hand,
is gradually cementing his place in the team with some solid performances.

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‘IPL
made a difference’

Shastri also said playing in IPL and sharing the dressing room with cricketers from various nations helped Indian cricketers in a big way. 

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“I have always said that the IPL has
made a difference – to share a dressing room with the best in the world, play
with and against them and then come into the Indian team; (it makes them) far
more experienced. When I was playing, the maximum pace I had faced in domestic
cricket was 74kmph. Then, (when I made it) to the Indian team, (I faced) Imran
Khan and the West Indies pacers. The exposure level is vastly different,”
pointed out Shastri.