Former fast bowler Zaheer Khan has hailed Jasprit Bumrah as India’s “truly world-class” bowler
ahead of the opening Test against South Africa in Centurion from December 26. Khan
said that Bumrah has “created problems” for opposition batsmen with his “pace
and guile”.

“We have
got Jasprit Bumrah, who is truly world-class and has created problems for
batters with pace and guile,” Khan told Hindustan Times as he spoke about India’s
well-rounded pace attack, one of the key reasons behind the Virat Kohli-led side’s
overseas success in recent years.

“They are
certainly good enough to take 20 wickets in each Test. They have been
performing consistently all over the world. It is a good, balanced attack. The
best part is that we have enough variety within the fast-bowling pack,” Khan
said.

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He also
praised veteran pacers Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma. He highlighted Ishant’s
ability to extract bounce from awkward lengths as a handy weapon on South
African pitches, while saying Shami’s seam position was his big strength.

 “We have a tall bowler like Ishant Sharma to
extract extra bounce from awkward lengths and someone like Mohammed Shami with
his prominent seam position who can move the ball both ways off the deck,” Khan
said.

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Khan also
backed Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj, saying, “We also have an
excellent second battery in Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj. On
the whole, we have a well-rounded attack and there is no reason to think they
won’t get the desired success.”

He said
that the only thing missing in India’s arsenal was a left-arm pacer, who can threaten
batters from different angles. “…But unfortunately for India, the wait
continues,” Khan said.

South
Africa will host India for three Tests and three ODIs. The series will be
played behind closed doors due to the rising threat of the omicron variant of the
coronavirus.