Shahid Afridi bizarre statement: The Indian cricket team has made significant progress in recent years. While India was once known for its batting legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, and Virat Kohli, it has now also gained recognition for producing top-quality bowlers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami.
In addition to the trio of Bumrah, Shami, and Siraj, who are currently part of India's World Cup squad, there are several other promising pacers emerging. Players like Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, and Umran Malik have all showcased their talent at both domestic and international levels. They are steadily progressing and are likely to become regulars in the Indian cricket team in the near future.
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, however, offered an unusual explanation for this transformation in Indian cricket, suggesting that Indian bowlers have become stronger because they have started consuming meat.
According to a report by GeoNews, Afridi made these remarks during a local sports show. He said, “India has a huge 1.4 billion population, and the quality of cricket has changed [over the years]. Back then we used to say that they are producing great batters while Pakistan is creating good bowlers, but that was not the case as we were generating both bowlers and batters… However, their bowlers have now started eating meat, so they have gained strength.”
Afridi also credited India's investment in enhancing grassroots cricket infrastructure in the country for the emergence of numerous young talents. He mentioned, “They improved their grassroots level cricket by giving the entire domestic system to a player like Rahul Dravid, who knows what the kids [domestic players] need to reach the top. They worked hard, and now they keep on producing talents. If India want, they can create two teams now."
It's worth noting that Indian cricket star Virat Kohli, who was known for enjoying non-vegetarian food, made the switch to a vegetarian diet in 2018 due to health issues. In an interview with former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen, Kohli explained that his decision was influenced by health concerns, including acidity and calcium depletion in his bones.
In a notable achievement, a second-string Indian cricket team led by Ruturaj Gaikwad secured a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games while the senior team was preparing for their opening match in the 2023 ODI World Cup against Australia. Despite a challenging start in their run-chase, the senior Indian team managed to claim a convincing six-wicket victory over Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.