Indians need new fast bowlers to rebuild reputation: Jones

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Former Australian batsman Dean Jones believes that the Indian cricket team needs a fresh batch of fast bowlers if it wants to rebuild its reputation as world cricket’s top side in all formats of the game.

In an article for the Sydney Morning Herald, Jones writes: “If India want to glisten like a rainbow or be No.1 in the world and admired by all cricket fans, they have to win in other people''s backyards.”

“This Indian team craves respect, but the way India are going about it, they will lose more than just respect. The Indians look tired and too slow in the field. They must stop idolising their greats, and start looking to the future,” he adds.

“The Indians have had a tough 13 months. They have played 16 Tests, 38 one-day internationals, four Twenty20 matches and many IPL matches. India have won a World Cup, but lost massively when they play overseas. If India want to be No.1 in the world in all forms of the game, they must find a great core of fast bowlers and batsmen who specialise in all formats,” Jones states.

He believes that you can tell how any team is playing by the way its tail is batting. If bowlers are putting in the hard yards with the bat, that tells me this team wants to win.

“India's lower order is so fragile it has become a laughing stock. They don't look like they want to be there, and are not prepared to wear one for their country,” he adds.

“India have to make some hard decisions and put up with some pain by retiring some senior players. Or maybe some senior players might have to specialise in one format of the game. It is time that Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Zaheer Khan and V.V.S Laxman made up their minds on what format of the game they think they can still excel in,” he says.

“The workload in this cricket environment is too much for players over the age of 34. They must make a decision and start to specialize,” he concludes.