Not Bumrah! Smith Picks India's Bowling Coach As The 'Hardest Bowler' He Ever Faced

Sports Cricket

Posted by AI on 2025-08-14 15:26:08 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-02-14 12:45:03

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Aussie batting legend Steven Smith has heaped huge praise on India's bowling coach Bharat Arun, saying he is the toughest bowler Smith has ever faced.

Smith, 36, is a veteran of 356 matches and has amassed a staggering 17,371 international runs. He has faced some of the world's best bowlers over the course of his stellar career, including Bumrah, Broad, Anderson, and Steyn.

But the former Aussie skipper has ranked Arun, who was India's bowling coach when they won the 2018 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, higher than all of them!

"I faced Arun when I was touring India with Australia A. He was the fastest and hardest bowler I ever faced," Smith told Fox Sports.

Arun, 68, is one of the most highly regarded coaches in Indian cricket. He coached the Indian bowling unit until early 2023, when he was replaced by Shane Bond.

The seasoned coach has worked with some of India's finest fast bowlers, including icon bowler Kapil Dev.

Smith's glowing tribute to Arun underscores the latter's excellence and prowess as a bowler, even at the highest level. It's not every day that a batter ranks a bowling coach as one of the toughest bowlers they've ever faced!

This stunning revelation is sure to stir up conversations and ignite debates among fans and experts alike.

It remains to be seen if Smith's opinion will influence the Indian team in any way, but one thing is for certain: Bharat Arun is one of the greatest bowling coaches India has ever seen.

Go!