Shoaib Akhtar is a man that doesn’t hold back his thoughts when asked about it. The Pakistani pacer was once the most devastating pacer in the game, infusing fear in the minds of the batsmen with his blazing pace.

After retirement, he has spent most of his time as a pundit and offers his views on things without any words minced. The Indian bowling lineup have been doing well in South Africa, but Shoaib Akhtar is not yet impressed as a he believes that there is still a long way to go.

When asked whether this is the best bowling lineup India have ever had, Akhtar stressed that he doesn’t believe that.

“I would not say that [it is the best bowling lineup India have ever had],” Akhtar told PTI.

“I would say they are gradually improving and there is a long way to go before India can call itself a good fast bowling nation.”

He then spoke about his expectations from the Indian bowling lineup that he had  5 years ago and that they couldn’t live up to it.

"Five years ago, I had thought that Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami will be the ones to lead India's pace department on overseas tours. But that did not happen with Aaron having fitness issues, Yadav being good in patches and erratic other times, like Wahab Riaz."

However, the former Rawalpindi Express believes that the competition between the bowlers is a "healthy sign" while also stating that "the thinking that (Virat) Kohli and the team management seem to have, they will only get better. India have always been known for their batting but nowadays you are seeing emergence of fast bowlers too but still I would say long way to go," he said.