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The metamorphosis of the Indian pace attack into one of the World's best has grabbed eyeballs of the cricketing world. It's one of the biggest success stories in the past few years. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma have formed a formidable trio and been wreaking havoc against opposition batsmen, which has been one of the foremost reasons for India's success overseas, something that eluded them in the past.

India has craved for potent pace attack for years and the emergence of this fast bowling cartel gives the team the balance that makes them ever so lethal. So, what's the reason behind this turnaround? What's the key to success for these pacers?

Firstpost sat down with Zaheer Khan on the sidelines of an Abu Dhabi T10 league event to analyse the Indian pace attack. For someone who was a master tactician with an astute brain and one of the most successful pacers India have produced, Zaheer spoke on a range of topics including what makes Bumrah special, how does the team management need to handle Rishabh Pant, the fast bowling bench strength and much more.

This pace attack has become one of the best in the world, what has brought this turnaround?

I feel there are a whole lot of attributes. You have to go way back when the academies were coming up, the pace foundation, the National Cricket Academy and Indian Premier League (IPL) also. You can say that the journey of having access to knowledge and the right methods has bettered. If you have the exposure to the right kind of method, training, you grasp things at an early stage, so the access of knowledge at an early stage is something which has had a huge impact in terms of more and more talent coming up. It's not just with the bowlers, you see batsmen also having that kind of ability and more and more cricketers are taking up cricket professionally, so the talent is not getting lost, it's getting spotted at an early age and then is getting right kind of guidance at an early age that is resulting in having this kind of a pool.

India's pace bowling trio, from left to right, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma along with India captain Virat Kohli. AP

You have Bumrah, Ishant and Shami forming a formidable trio in Tests. What's the key to the success of this current pace battery?

Everyone has a different style for sure. Someone like Ishant who has a whole lot of experience at this level has evolved as a good bowler over the years, yes the progress has been slow, there is no denial of the fact. But the fact is that he has put in enough effort in terms of getting to this stage. I feel the stint he's had with the County team also helped him achieve that change. The change, I am talking about is his length which has had a very positive impact in terms of getting wickets. In terms of his fitness, it's always been his strength. You've always seen Ishant running in hard. You've always seen him bowl those long spells, and that many number of overs, that strength is now backed by some smart bowling which is giving him the success we are talking about.

With Shami all the ability was there, the wrist and the seam position was his strength which really gets him wickets and the pace which he bowls is there naturally. What he needed to back it up with was he needed to work on his fitness, particularly after the knee surgery, he was out for about a year. So he had to show that kind of motivation and drive to be back. I have seen good healthy competition around as far as the Indian team is concerned. That has really pushed him to that level. If you want something, you have to work towards it and that has been the case with Shami. He has been driven, spent enough time on his fitness, tried to add that dimension to his game which has really worked for him.

Bumrah is an exceptional talent, the special ability with the awkward angle which he delivers from gives him that edge and advantage over the batsman and he is a match-winner. He has actually adapted himself to the international level very well and evolved in a short time as a force to reckon. But his success has been dependent on the kind of time and effort which he puts in not only on his fitness but also understanding different phases of the game, understanding his own bowling and analysing the batsman.

What changes have you seen in Bumrah from when he started and where he is right now?

A better understanding of his bowling which strikes you immediately in terms of his own action and how he gets control over different deliveries. That is something which is very striking. And also a lot of work has gone into getting fitter and stronger. That has a direct impact on you bowling longer spells, fatiguing later in the game and your intensity goes up. That is something in which he has consciously put in a lot of time and effort to bowl longer spells and that. Those things he has been very consistent with and also understanding what his strengths and weaknesses are. That is also equally important. The slower one has been something which had increased the effect of his quicker deliveries which is something he had put together nicely. That process is still going on and it goes on till the time you play.

"Bumrah is an exceptional talent, the special ability the awkward angle which he delivers from gives him that edge and advantage over the batsman." Image courtesy AP

What is the one thing that has impressed you the most about Bumrah?

The release point or the last stride which a bowler needs to have control over, for him to have control at the other end in terms of the delivery that he is looking to bowl and that for him has improved drastically.

What kind of lengths were you talking about in case of Ishant and what has impressed you about those lengths?

The length has gone a little fuller than what he used to bowl. The Test match length is around 6 meter or five and half meter or between 5-6, so that's the difference. It's not a huge difference in terms of the number of meters but as a bowler it's huge. Getting that ball a little fuller also requires a lot more effort and lot more control which he has been working towards for a long time which has come together nicely now.

"You've always seen Ishant running in hard. You've always seen him bowl those long spells, and that many number of overs, that has been his strength and that strength is now backed by some smart bowling which is giving him the success." Image courtesy Reuters

We saw a glimpse of future in the bowling arsenal with Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar in West Indies and there is Mohammed Siraj as well, they have made it to the international arena now, so what do they need to do now to go one step further now?

For anyone, it's pretty simple. You just have to keep pushing yourself. That one performance is very important for you to get that confidence at the highest level. Fortunately now with all the other matches which go around, not just the international games but also the first-class, India A and domestic games, that has added that advantage for you to be working on things and keep pushing yourself or for you to have that platform of coming back if in case you are out of the scheme of things.

You played county cricket, and Ishant too, so how important is it for upcoming pacers to play in the County circuit?

You have to find the time window. It's about being on the lookout, it's about bowling that many number of overs. County cricket kind of gives you the opportunity but so does our domestic cricket. It's about making use of those matches in adding skills to your armoury. Or if you want to work towards achieving some change then you should be making use of those kinds of matches. County is played around the time when there is off season in India, so how you can maximise the playing ability is something which is an option available, but right now the season is starting for Indian domestic cricket, so you should just go and play domestic matches. It's about getting that many number of overs under your belt.

Rishabh Pant has divided a lot of opinions of late. Some feel he's been given too many chances, some feel you just need to leave such talent alone, what's your opinion on Pant?

For me it's pretty simple, he's a great talent, which everyone will agree with. It's just about protecting that talent, providing a platform to that talent to flourish. It's in the team management's hands to use him in situations where things are simplified for him rather than curbing his natural instincts or putting him in a scenario where he has to think too much or adapt or act otherwise by his natural instincts. It's about using him in situations where there is not much of thinking needed but you have to play just aggressively because that's his natural instinct. And as he adapts to the different conditions or as he evolves as a player, you can put more responsibility on him. I think right now too much responsibility and expectations are put on him just by sheer glimpses of what he can achieve.

"For me it's pretty simple, he's a great talent which everyone will agree with. It's just about protecting that talent, providing a platform to that talent to flourish." Image courtesy AP

India is heading towards a more all-round model in T20s, the likes of Kuldeep and Chahal are also not guaranteed a place. Do you think that's the right way or specialists is the way to go?

The T20 World Cup is still a long way away. It's a great opportunity for others to stake a claim. But it's also a process where they are looking at identifying more and more players and creating a pool which selectors can continuously use from.

But don't you think specialists are important compared to the all-round options?

It all depends on the combination. If you have the best quality all-rounders then you know obviously that it's the best possible scenario. We all know that the specialists are also important (compared) to cricketers having all-round ability, but you also have to look at their abilities in isolation. A great example is Ben Stokes. If you have someone like Stokes then obviously it's a great option to have and that really changes the balance. in the past, you have seen someone like Jacques Kallis who used to provide that kind of balance and ability. So it's all very relative. It all depends on the pool of players available and the combination which you are working on.

Hardik Pandya has taken his power-hitting to another level, you have followed him in close quarters at Mumbai Indians, he was brilliant in IPL, what has he been doing around it?

Hardik has spent enough time working towards it (power-hitting). First and foremost he is someone who likes hitting a lot of balls in the nets and work towards achieving consistency in his power-hitting. And you have got to have the basic ability which he has. The practice makes it perfect.

Do you think he will be the X-factor for India going into the T20 World Cup?

He does change the balance of the team and that's the balance which we were talking about. So if you have that kind of option, it really gives you that luxury to play that extra bowler if you want or an extra batsman. You can use his services as just a pure hitting batsman and then add a specialist bowler or you can just look at him as someone who will give you those four overs. And then play an extra batsman.

In the last few years, the batting averages have gone down compared to if you look historically. Why has that happened?

Well, you can look at these stats and numbers in any way possible. You can also say that the number of results have gone up. So the matches have been interesting. We've seen with the Ashes also, the matches going so deep and results derived so late makes it that much interesting isn't it? The batsmen are playing aggressively and the scoring rate has gone up which also means that the batsmen are playing more shots and willing to take more risks. But on the whole, it has had a positive impact in terms of getting a result in Tests.

How does the 10-over format help the players?

What we have seen is everyone has been pushing that bar. If you look at it from a batsman's point of view, with 20 overs, you still see that people take time but with 10 overs, you've seen 150 also been scored. That is a different mindset. When you know that the game is so condensed, you have to go (from ball one). The ball is still hard and new and you have to make the impact in that, so actually it's putting more pressure on the batsman. As a bowler, it's a challenge. Right from the moment you take the ball in the hand, you know that the batsman is going to go after you. So what can you do in that scenario? So it's adding a different dimension for sure, for both batsman and bowlers to compete.

The Abu Dhabi T20 League 2019 will be telecast only on Sony Pictures Sports Network

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