India's fast bowling domination in Test cricket is Irfan Pathan's 'highlight of 2019'

2019 was a very dominant year for Indian cricket. Be it with the white ball, the red ball, or even the pink, India dominated cricket on all fronts. During the World Cup, they narrowly missed out on the finals after being knocked out by New Zealand in the semi-finals. But in the ICC World Test Championship, India are yet to lose a match and have maintained their stronghold on the No.1 spot.

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Irfan Pathan credits Indian pace line-up

Speaking to a leading Indian broadcaster, former India pacer Irfan Pathan discussed India's overall performance in 2019 alongside batting great VVS Laxman. For Pathan, India's rock-solid pace bowling lineup was the 'highlight of the year'. The current bowling trio of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma have wrecked havoc on almost any batting line-up they have faced. The trio shares a total of 81 wickets and have a combined average of 15.16 (for 2019). Not only is this average the best for any team in a calendar year (minimum 50 wickets) but the last time a bowling trio averaged less than 20 in a year was when Ian Botham, Chris Old and Bob Willis led the England side to glory in 1978. Since then, almost no other bowling trio had been this lethal, which include some greats of the game such as Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts and so on. 

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Irfan Pathan in the news

Irfan Pathan has not yet retired from the game despite being out of favour in the Indian national team since the last 6-7 years. However, Pathan is enjoying his time as a cricket pundit and commentator and is often seen during India's matches at home. He recently made headlines for a heartfelt tweet for his elder brother, Yusuf Pathan who was snubbed at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 Auction on December 19.

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