India has a good bowling attack, says McGrath

McGrath, who is in the city for his regular coaching stint at the MRF Pace Foundation, said he was impressed with the Indian pace bowlers, who have been doing well of late. “Umesh Yadav is bowling well. Jasprit Bumrah is a good ODI bowler. The way he bowls at the death, his lengths and he can work up good pace combined with good yorkers. Even Bhuvneshwar Kumar has done well. They (Indian pacers) have been playing well for a while now. I think India has a good bowling attack. It should do well in English conditions and this lot is one of the best in recent times India has had,” McGrath said.

The former Australian fast bowler said he wanted to see how Virat Kohli would bounce back and be among the runs. “He hasn’t been in the best of form of late and it would be nice to see how he bounces back. I like his attitude. He has the potential to be one of the great players. He has good aggression and has it under control. He is a quality player,” McGrath explained. 

The 47-year-old bowler said playing on a big stage like the Champions Trophy can be made easy with meticulous preparation. “It all boils down to preparation. Teams need to prepare as well as they can. India or Australia or even England should not be worrying about the pressure. Personally, I can say Australia has played well in big matches because of good preparation. I love to play in these big matches as I know where I stand. Players need to get their basics right. The bigger the game, the more focus on basics and more often than not, the team will come out on top,” McGrath noted. 

Against Pakistan on June 4, McGrath said India would be the favourite to win. “It is a big game. Pakistan, of late, hasn’t been the team it has been previously. Pakistan is a volatile side although some young players are coming through. India surely is the favourite in that game,” the Australian concluded.