Gone are days when India would struggle to find a quality third or back-up seamer: Pollock

Mumbai, June 14: Former South Africa speedster Shaun Pollock on Sunday said India currently has depth in the pace-bowling department and gone are the days when the country would struggle to find a quality third or back-up seamer.

“Yeah, you guys (India) are really in a strong position now (with regard to fast bowling). The depth in bowling, the different variations, you have got some tall guys, shorter guys, quick, skillful, shaping the ball and you can decide in between them and you can have a real good balance,” Pollock said on 'Sony Ten Pit Stop’ show.

India currently possesses an array of fast bowlers led by spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, with the likes of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to back him up. The country also has a good bench-strength with the likes of Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Navdeep Saini, among others.

The former South Africa captain recalled that there was a period when India did not have any third or replacement bowler to support lead pacers like Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad.

“If you decide to go with three or even four seamers, you now have got guys who can step in. In the years gone by, you might have had a Srinath or a Venkatesh Prasad, but then the replacement bowler...third bowler or backup bowler... was not of the same quality and that’s where I thought they were letting themselves down,” added Pollock, who has 421 Test wickets and 393 ODI scalps to his name.

The 46-year-old Pollock said in a recent chat, Bumrah had told him about competition among the Indian bowlers.

“We had a chat with Bumrah, the other day, and he was saying everyone is competing, ready to go, you really have to keep performing and if you don’t have a good few games, then someone can step in and take your place. So, that’s a good situation for India.”