Indian pace attack finds its feet

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">NEW DELHI:</span> It is not too often that seamers claim all the 10 wickets for India but the 183-run thrashing of Sri Lanka in the Super Six encounter at the Wanderers on Monday on a batting track proves that the Indian pace attack spearheaded by Javagal Srinath is now world class.<br /><br />Srinath termed and sometimes summarily dismissed as the old warhorse (mind you he is still not 34) seems to be bowling best with the career coming to an end.The hard working right-arm seamer is having a great World Cup, taking eight wickets in the preliminary stage, claiming two against Kenya and then claiming the big four against Sri Lanka.<br /><br />It is no surprise that Srinath, almost written off by the cricket pundits back in India, is now one place ahead of the retired Allan Donald in the list of all World Cup wicket takers with 39 victims to his name. <br /><br />And the way Srinath comes steaming in, he is bound to add to the tally before the World Cup finishes. It might be the last World Cup for the ''Karnataka Express'' but the seamer from Bangalore will be bowing out in the best way possible - with a bagful of wickets.<br /><br />We have all heard stories of genuine Indian pace bowlers like Mohammad Nissar in the 1930s or Mehallasha Pavri even earlier back in the 1890s but Srinath has been the truly quick seam bowler in modern India. Even the great Kapil Dev was never really that quick depending more on swing to get the batsmen out.<br /><br />The rotator cuff injury might have robbed Srinath of some pace but he still remains one of those bowlers who likes to hit the deck hard and make the batsmen hop on the back foot.<br /><br />The emergence of left-arm seamers Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra as world class medium pace bowlers has been instrumental in taking the pressure off from Srinath.<br /><br />Zaheer, in particular, has held his own, cutting down on his pace considerably to focus more on line and length. He now has one of the best yorkers in the business and has the capacity to keep the runs down in the slog overs. Zaheer''s three years, spent with the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai, have shaped the left-arm seamer from Baroda into an attacking, and at the same time into a thinking bowler. He has now attained the maturity to take the baton from Srinath and shape India''s fortunes in the years to come.<br /><br />In spite of a weak back and injury problems, Ashish Nehra is always a useful bowler to have around. The Delhi boy has the uncanny ability to move the ball both ways. This was evident in his match-winning six-wicket haul against England in the day-night encounter at Durban. <br /><br />In the away series against the West Indies, Nehra was particularly effective against Brian Lara getting rid of the maestro on numerous occasions.<br /><br />It would not be a misnomer to call the present seam attack the best that India have ever had. It is not always that off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is left twiddling his thumbs while the seamers take 10 wickets. But no one is complaining as long as the wickets come and the Indian seam attack seems to be in good hands.</div> </div>