While it might be smooth sailing for the Men in Blue in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 co-hosted by USA and West Indies. India’s first WC-winning captain, Kapil Dev feels that Rohit Sharma the current Indian skipper might not be getting the best out of his lead bowler, Jasprit Bumrah.
Kapil Dev who was also a fine all-rounder during his time, failed to understand Rohit Sharma’s plan of holding Bumrah back rather than opening the bowling innings with his best bowler having the new ball to make an early impact.
Bumrah has been primarily used as the first-change in the Indian bowling attack in the white-ball formats but Kapil Dev believes that it would be ideal to use your best bowler up front rather than taking the passive approach.
“The next time I would go and ask the captain this question because to know about their thought process, I’d need to be among them. We can assume from the outside but by whatever amount of cricket I have played or seen, he needs to bowl the first over. He is a wicket-taking bowler. If you make him second or third change or make him bowl the fifth and sixth over, the game can slip out of your hands,” Kapil said on ABP News.
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The former Indian skipper lauded the efforts by Bumrah to get to where he is currently, one of the best all-format bowlers who has taken the cricketing world by storm despite his weird action. He also came past his injuries and improved his action so that he could be the dominant force that he has become now.
“We didn’t think he would be able to play so much cricket. We felt it would be difficult because of his actions and the way he runs, the pressure it puts on his body and shoulders. But he has proved all of us wrong and even proven that by this action itself, I can become the best bowler in the world. Sometimes you have to pay the price, but if it comes through a loss, it’s tough,” Kapil added.
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Going back to India’s planning with regards to their bowling, Kapil suggests that India might be better off putting the opponents under pressure right away and going with Bumrah who could give you a couple of wickets in his first spell with the new ball.
“So better to have that positive mindset from the very beginning. This is not a Test match. This is T20. The quicker you take wickets, the more pressure it puts on the opposition. So if Bumrah opens the bowling and picks up a couple of wickets upfront in a two-over spell, then the other team will always struggle. And then life becomes earlier for your other bowlers. Sometimes Bumrah will also get hit but the belief should be to plan with a positive mindset,” he concluded.
India will play their remaining group-stage fixtures against the USA and then Canada in New York with a spot in the Super-8s more or less confirmed.
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