Mumbai: Former England captain Michael Atherton shared his views on the in-form Indian team in the ongoing World Cup 2023 on Thursday after Rohit & Co. thrashed Sri Lanka by 302 runs to register their seventh consecutive win and become the first team to qualify for the semifinals.
Putting to bat first, India first posted a mammoth 357/8 and then Indian pacers Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah razed Sri Lanka for a paltry 55 to register their biggest and second-biggest victory of the World Cup by a margin of runs in the 48-year history of the tournament.
In the ICC's Review Podcast, Micheal Atherton said, "They've looked the best team by a country mile. They've got the best bowling attack. That's really the thing that has stood out for me. They're a very good all-round side, obviously, but to watch them tonight (Thursday) against Sri Lanka here in Mumbai, and then the way they bowled against England in Lucknow, those seamers are making early in-roads and then, making life much easier for the spinners."
Mohammed Shami continued his impressive form, picking up his second five-wicket haul in the tournament to take his tally to 14 in just three matches. With 45 World Cup wickets under his belt, the 33-year-old broke the record of former pacers Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath's (44) most wickets in the World Cups.
Mohammed Siraj, also known as Miyan Magic supported him with a three-wicket haul along with fellow speedster Jasprit Bumrah. Among spinners, Ravindra Jadeja scalped a victim, while Kuldeep Yadav turned out to be highly economical.
Atherton also said that the current Indian pace battery makes the team look invincible. "It's a fantastic attack. I think the quality and depth of the Indian pace bowling is the thing that's changed dramatically, really, since I played here. I'm not sure I've seen a better pace attack than the one India are putting out right now. (Javagal) Srinath and (Venkatesh) Prasad, when I played, were very good, Zaheer Khan obviously. "They've had very, very good bowlers, but this three, backed up by the two spinners, it's a really top quality all-round attack right now."
India will be up against second-placed South Africa next at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. The Proteas so far have lost only one match out of seven they have played so far. With the batting department of both the teams at their peak, Atherton said the match between the two top teams promises to be an exciting contest.
"It's going to be a taster of what may be to come in the knockout stages. "Whether the players can hold their nerve, whether South Africa can still bat as aggressively and as well against India's pace attack, that remains to be seen. It'll be a good pointer to what's to come," he concluded.
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