Future of Indian bowling looks bleak, says Wasim Akram

New Delhi:  As Indian pacers failed to make an impression against England, former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram says the future of Indian bowling looks "bleak" and it's time that the new faces get a chance in the team.

Apart from Pragyan Ojha (20 wickets) and Ravichandran Ashwin (12), no Indian bowler bagged more than five wickets in the series, which India lost 1-2.

"To be very honest, the future of Indian bowling looks bleak. Zaheer Khan looked average in the three Tests and then got dropped. Ishant Sharma was okay in patches but after five years at the international level you have to be more consistent.

"I am afraid he is going the Mohammad Sami way - a wasted talent. Umesh Yadav seems to be injury prone and the selectors don't pick Varun Aaron," Akram told espnstar.com.

Akram said time has come that the Indian selectors pick youngsters, who have potential to be successful at international level.

"It's time that India look for new faces or tell the present bunch to shape up or ship out. I will suggest a certain Shami Ahmed to get a look in. The Bengal pacer is just 22 years old but has tremendous potential. Having worked with him for Kolkata Knight Riders from 2011 season, I believe bowlers like him are the forward for Team India," the KKR consultant said.

Akram also said that the England's support staff was better equipped than its Indian counterpart.

"The lack of planning in the Indian team was pretty visible even on the television screens and that reflected on the bowling front as well. It seemed the bowlers were going through the motion rather than planning their wickets.

"England's team director Andy Flower, bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmad and batting coach Graham Gooch were all in sync unlike the Indian backroom staff," said Akram.