“Hamare pass fast bowlers ki line nahi lagi hui hain” - Rohit Sharma’s candid confession on India’s pace bowling resources

Team India captain Rohit Sharma has candidly admitted that they are struggling to put together a strong pace bowling attack because a number of fast bowlers are on the injury list. He added that, given the situation, they have no option but to manage the available resources by rotating them.

India have rested senior pacer Mohammed Shami for the Test series in West Indies. Jasprit Bumrah continues to remain unfit, while Umesh Yadav has been dropped. In their absence, Mohammed Siraj will be leading a pace attack also comprising Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar.

At a press conference ahead of the first Test against West Indies in Dominica, Rohit was asked for his thoughts on India’s experienced bowling attack for the red-ball series. He responded:

“Fast bowlers have claimed a lot of wickets here (in West Indies). People get injured, and we have to rotate players unfortunately. Hamare pass fast bowlers ki line nahi lagi hui hain (we don’t have a line of fast bowlers).

"There are lots of Indian fast bowlers who are injured, so we have to manage the bowlers that we have. Our experienced bowlers could not come on this tour."

The Indian captain, though, expressed confidence in the bowlers who have been picked for the series. He added:

“Jaydev is not new. He has been playing from 10-12 years. Mukesh Kumar has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket.

"We’ll see what combination we can play. This will always be a challenge for Indian cricket because we play a lot. We have to give players enough breaks because we want them to be fresh.”

The 36-year-old also explained that with the World Cup coming up, it’s important to look at the larger picture. Rohit said:

“The World Cup is coming up; we need to consider that as well. We don’t have the luxury to focus on one particular series. We have to look ahead. It’s good in a way as we are getting a chance to create bench strength.”

Siraj, who made his Test debut in December 2020, has claimed 52 wickets in 19 games, averaging 31.90.

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“There will be responsibility on all 11 players”- Rohit Sharma

As always, India will be dependent on seniors like Rohit and Kohli in the batting department to deliver the goods.

Rohit admitted that while expectations ought to be high from senior players, all 11 members of the team need to contribute:

“There will be responsibility on all 11 players over how to win the match for the team.

"Of course, when you have been playing for many years, there is greater responsibility on you. But whenever you wear the India t-shirt, everyone’s responsibility is equal. Again, it’s very important for senior players to step up. But the simple fact is, I want all 11 players to step up.”

The first Test of the two-match India-West Indies series begins in Dominica on Wednesday (July 12).