India require better effort from bowlers: Jeff Thomson

ADELAIDE: Jeffrey Thomson, the fearsome fast bowler of 1970s, may have grayed over the years but his booming voice can be heard loud and clear.
He spoke to TOI for a few minutes outside his hotel, even though he was in a hurry to catch a flight to Melbourne. Thommo, as he was fondly called, said he strongly feels that Australia will win the World Cup at home.
"They have been playing excellent cricket even without their injured skipper and a couple of other guys. They will be very tough to beat in home conditions. I absolutely back them to win the World Cup. There are quite a few exciting batsmen in the side and bowling is up to the standard."
When asked how he rated India's chances in the World Cup, he said much will depend on how well their bowlers perform. "I caught a few glimpses of the matches they have played. I thing their bowl ing holds the key. They need to improve a lot. They need to put in a lot more effort. If the bowlers do well, I think India will go quite far in the tournament as they have quality batsmen amongst them."
Did he ever regret not being a part of a World up winning team? "Well we were right there. A few more runs from my and Lillee's bat and we would have won the World Cup (in 1975). But then I am happy with whatever we achieved in that World Cup," said Thommo, picking up his bag and jumping into the waiting car to take him to the airport.
The match Thomson was referring to was the first-ever World Cup final at Lord's in 1975. Chasing 292 for a win against the West Indies, Australia were down in dumps at 233 for nine, with the result looking a foregone conclusion.
But the fearsome pace bowling pair of Lillee and Thomson got into the act and struck some lusty blows to added 41 runs for the last wicket to revive Australia's chances. However, Thomson was run out by wicketkeeper David Murray after a mix-up, with victory just 18 runs away.
Though only eight deliveries were left when he was run out, a couple of big blows could well have settled the issue. It was so near, yet so far for Thommo. It was not until 1987 that Australia won their first World Cup. By then he had long retired from active cricket.