Chennai: As India look to usher in a new generation of fast bowlers, Australian great Glenn McGrath believes Prasidh Krishna has all the ingredients to become Jasprit Bumrah‘s long-term pace partner. The legendary fast bowler, who is the director of coaching at the MRF Pace Foundation, has closely followed Prasidh’s rise and feels the tall Karnataka seamer has transformed his potential into performances. “I’m a big fan of Prasidh,” McGrath said. “If he gets his length right, he’s got everything going for him.” “He has really matured. He’s tall, bowls in good areas, generates bounce and has genuine pace. Occasionally he’s a little short, but apart from that, I think he’s the whole package. He’s really developed and put his potential into performance,” he said. India have handed opportunities to several young quicks during the recent tours of the UK and Zimbabwe as they prepare for a demanding cycle of white-ball cricket, with the ODI and T20 World Cups to be played in South Africa and Australia-New Zealand respectively. It means India will need a strong pace attack firing on all cylinders, and McGrath believes the transition phase they are going through will not be easy. “You’ve got Bumrah, who’s a class bowler, and Mohammed Shami, who’s world-class as well. Mohammed Siraj has been around for a long time too. You can’t just expect to pick up straight where you left off. It’s always going to be a transitional period,” he said, referring to the Australian team, which will also go through a similar phase. “Other than Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, hardly anybody gets a chance… So it’s not going to be easy for Australia either.” McGrath also pointed out that Bumrah’s unconventional action demands careful workload management. “The way he powers through those last few steps probably puts more stress on his body than most bowlers. It’ll be interesting to see how he manages himself,” McGrath said. While India appear keen to fast-track younger bowlers, McGrath insisted experienced pacers still have an important role to play. “It’s always good to have experience there. Young bowlers learn by playing alongside senior guys. I was fortunate to watch Craig McDermott and Merv Hughes. That’s where you really learn. I’d always pick an experienced team over a potential team,” he said. On whether veterans such as Shami or Bhuvneshwar Kumar could still mount a comeback, McGrath said the decision rested on their bodies, motivation and the selectors. “If they’re prepared to put the work in and their body allows it, then why not? As fast bowlers get older, the work only gets tougher. Ultimately, it’s up to them and the selectors.” McGrath also called for a rethink in the way fast bowlers are rehabilitated after injuries, arguing that modern systems often “wrap bowlers in cotton wool” instead of making them physically stronger. “The best way is to get stronger. Even when you’re injured, you should keep working on the parts of the body that you can train. Instead of protecting bowlers, we should be making them unbreakable,” he said.
