“Virat is the best thing to have happened to Test Cricket”: Bharat Arun lauds Kohli’s contribution to Test Cricket

It was recently declared that Ravi Shastri and his coaching team will step down after the T20I World Cup in the UAE. The baton was handed over to – The Wall – Rahul Dravid. Moreover, the T20I captaincy was passed on to Rohit Sharma. Former India Bowling Coach, Bharat Arun, recently spoke to Indian Express.

During the interview, he talked about test cricket, bowlers, and some notable events. He described the test captain Virat Kohli, as the best thing to have happened to test cricket. He further revealed that test cricket was Kohli’s passion. Here are some of his insights from the interview.

Arun praised the all-around ability of Ravindra Jadeja and called him “A beautiful package, on the whole”. The 58-year-old also seemed to be impressed by the mentality and dedication of young Mohammad Siraj. Arun has worked closely with Siraj in Sunrisers Hyderabad and has been in close contact, ever since.

“Kuldeep still has 8-10 years of career”: Bharat Arun

Arun has praised Ashwin and hailed his comeback after the blip in form post-2018. When asked about Kuldeep Yadav, the former bowling coach agreed that Kuldeep did not perform to his potential during his tenure. However, he admitted that Yadav is on the right track of making a comeback.

Arun also spoke, in length, about star Indian pacers. “Bumrah always had a dream to excel in Test Cricket”, he said. Ishant Sharma has changed his style of bowling, and his mentality, to becoming a wicket-taking bowler.

Arun believes that Shami has learned to trust and try new variations outside his comfort zone, which is where growth lies. Shami was ready to give up and was angry with life, but Arun and Shastri channelized his anger to positivity.

He feels that there have been many talented emerging pace bowlers, unlike in the spin department. Besides Thakur and Siraj, Arun has placed his bet on Umran Malik, Prasidh Krishna, and Avesh Khan to perform well in the near future.

In the end, Bharat Arun wished nothing but success to Rahul Dravid and his team.