legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev showered praise on Indian seamer Jasprit Bumrah and said his success has changed the thinking of experts on bowling actions.
"Bumrah has been a fabulous bowler for India. When I first saw him, I thought how could he play for a long time with such an awkward action. But he has forced us to change our mindset and now we feel that a bowler with a different type of action can be even better than someone with a regular action if he has good control," the former India captain said at the launch of the second edition of 'Wonder Cement Saath: 7,' a tennis-ball cricket tournament to be played in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
Talking about the value of tennis ball cricket, the man with 438 Test wickets said that it can leave a lasting impact on players.
"When I see Dhoni play, I get glimpses of tennis ball cricket in his style. The 'helicopter shot' that he plays is a product of tennis ball cricket and could have originated only there. I hope that one day we would have a tennis ball World Cup also," the great all-rounder asserted.
When asked about the batting position of Hardik Pandya, a man being hailed as the 'new Kapil Dev,' 'Haryana Hurricane' backed the decision of the team.
"I and people like me who are not part of the team cannot be better judges than those who are. I am sure that the thinking of the team management on this issue must be right and based on better knowledge than we have. I hope that Hardik Pandya succeeds and goes a long way in his career," emphasized the skipper of the 1983 World Cup winning Indian team.
On the larger question of the future of Test cricket and whether it faces an existential threat, the man affectionately called Kapil paaji asked people not to worry.
"Test cricket would definitely survive. Other forms of the game which seem more exciting will come and go but just like classic movies remain popular, Tests would also remain alive. ICC should do something to bring crowds to the matches. But Test cricket is not going anywhere because the enjoyment it provides is not available anywhere else."
Regarding the changes introduced in the game recently by ICC, Kapil struck a cautious note.
"If these new rules help cricket than they are good. We have seen the game change a lot in the last 50 years.
“I believe the authorities should keep changing and modifying the game to improve it," the scorer of 5,248 Test runs opined.