Published: Jun 05, 2015, 11:23 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 05, 2015, 11:23 AM (IST)
Andy Roberts was a part of the West Indian fast bowling artillery that ruled cricket in the 70s and 80s. Fiery, yet an intelligent mind, Roberts was a menace and Indian legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar had termed him as the best fast bowler of his generation. It’s a huge compliment, if someone of Roberts’ stature is impressed with you and showers praises.
Indian quick bowler Umesh Yadav, who had an impressive World Cup 2015, was the recipient of Roberts’ praises as the West Indian legend feels he is the “first genuine” pacer from the country but at the same time also said that he needs to be a tad more aggressive.
“I am very impressed with Yadav. He is the first genuine fast bowler that India has got. I don’t think before him India had a genuine fast bowler. Another boy (Mohammed) Shami is also good. But I want both of them to be a bit more aggressive. And when I mean aggressive, I don’t mean one needs to swear,” said Roberts.
Roberts, 64, is the mentor of St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). He said that there weren’t too many genuine quick bowlers he saw emerging from India. He further added on his observation of past Indian quick bowlers, “Let me just tell you that there is a lot of difference between a fast bowler and quick bowler. Kapil Dev was a swing bowler but he was not a quick bowler. India’s first ever quick bowler that I saw was Javagal Srinath but again he was not in that league of fast men like Yadav, who can hit mid-90s. You have to know one thing, no one can teach you how to bowl fast and develop an aggressive attitude.”
