Former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath feels wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni will hold the key for India’s success in the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2019.
Glenn McGrath (left) interacts with school children
Chennai:
The Director of Coaching at the MRF Pace Foundation termed Virat Kohli-led India as a ‘quality’ outfit. “It has played good in limited-overs, I am looking forward to see how it goes in English conditions. The brand of cricket it plays is similar to England,” added the three-time WC winner.
Veteran all-rounder Yuvraj Singh had a swashbuckling campaign during India’s dream run in 2011. The southpaw smashed four half-centuries and a ton, engineering India’s first WC triumph since 1983. Asked if the current side misses a player of his calibre at the end overs, McGrath responded, “Hardik (Pandya) can play that role. Dinesh Karthik is a good finisher too. But it’s about gelling well as a unit.”
Apart from the Asian nation, McGrath picked host England and Australia as his favourites to lift the prized crown. “These are my top three teams. England is a quality One-Day unit. There is always a lot of pressure on India in a big tournament, but it has done well in the past. West Indies will have some good games. If it makes the Finals, it is going to be interesting.”
No bowler in WC history has more scalps than McGrath. The 49-year-old, who made his tournament debut in 1996, has a tally of 71 wickets, three more than second-placed Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka). Only longevity in the game will help a current player surpass his record, according to the pace ace.
“If they play long enough, they can. I was lucky enough to play in four WCs. I didn’t take too many wickets in my first outing, but did decently afterwards. Records are there to be broken. If you got to beat (my numbers), you probably have to feature in four WCs,” said McGrath.
The New South Wales-based former cricketer expressed his admiration for the Aussie duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada and India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. “Cummins has done incredibly well, Starc is a match-winner. Bumrah is one guy I am really impressed with. He is up there with the best bowlers in ODIs. These are the guys I enjoy watching.”
South Africa has got off to a dismal start in the global event and McGrath is unsure about what is wrong with it. “I don’t know whether it’s the consistency or the confidence. It has got some good players, but they are just not there at the moment.”
"MS is going to be a big player. He has the experience and the way he goes about the game will benefit India. We saw how Dhoni finished off the innings recently against Australia (in the away series), it is about being consistent,” McGrath told media persons.
The Director of Coaching at the MRF Pace Foundation termed Virat Kohli-led India as a ‘quality’ outfit. “It has played good in limited-overs, I am looking forward to see how it goes in English conditions. The brand of cricket it plays is similar to England,” added the three-time WC winner.
Veteran all-rounder Yuvraj Singh had a swashbuckling campaign during India’s dream run in 2011. The southpaw smashed four half-centuries and a ton, engineering India’s first WC triumph since 1983. Asked if the current side misses a player of his calibre at the end overs, McGrath responded, “Hardik (Pandya) can play that role. Dinesh Karthik is a good finisher too. But it’s about gelling well as a unit.”
Apart from the Asian nation, McGrath picked host England and Australia as his favourites to lift the prized crown. “These are my top three teams. England is a quality One-Day unit. There is always a lot of pressure on India in a big tournament, but it has done well in the past. West Indies will have some good games. If it makes the Finals, it is going to be interesting.”
No bowler in WC history has more scalps than McGrath. The 49-year-old, who made his tournament debut in 1996, has a tally of 71 wickets, three more than second-placed Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka). Only longevity in the game will help a current player surpass his record, according to the pace ace.
“If they play long enough, they can. I was lucky enough to play in four WCs. I didn’t take too many wickets in my first outing, but did decently afterwards. Records are there to be broken. If you got to beat (my numbers), you probably have to feature in four WCs,” said McGrath.
The New South Wales-based former cricketer expressed his admiration for the Aussie duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada and India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. “Cummins has done incredibly well, Starc is a match-winner. Bumrah is one guy I am really impressed with. He is up there with the best bowlers in ODIs. These are the guys I enjoy watching.”
South Africa has got off to a dismal start in the global event and McGrath is unsure about what is wrong with it. “I don’t know whether it’s the consistency or the confidence. It has got some good players, but they are just not there at the moment.”