Whether he bowls with the new ball or comes in as first change, Jasprit Bumrah is just as deadly accurate and incisive. The senior pacer proved so with his match-winning spell of 3/17 in Guwahati on Sunday, which was crucial to India’s T20I series victory over New Zealand.
Being flexible is what matters for Bumrah, and of course, contributing to the team’s cause, irrespective of beginning the proceedings with the ball or when the ball isn’t as new.
“I’m happy as long as I’m able to contribute. So, if the team wants me to bowl with the new ball and bowl in the end, or if they want me to come later or bowl in the end, I’m happy to do that,’ Bumrah, adjudged Man of the Match, said at the post-match presentation.
“I did that in (last year’s) Asia Cup as well. That was a new role for me. I’ve never done that before for too long. But as a team, we have to be flexible and so, I’m flexible as well,” he emphasised.
Bumrah also completed a decade in international cricket, having made his India debut in an ODI against Australia in Sydney on January 23, 2016.
“As a kid, I tried to play one game. Fighting pains, assumptions, opinions, aches and so on was tough. But yes, it’s a feather in my cap,” he said.
Tilak recovery
Tilak Varma, a vital cog in India’s T20I batting group, is likely to be rested for the remaining two T20Is as well. The left-hander is expected to be fully fit by the time the T20 World Cup gets underway on February 7.
“Tilak is yet to resume full-intensity batting at nets. It may take him a few more days to do so and regain 100 per cent fitness. So, he’ll most probably not be a part of the remaining two T20Is as well, though he’s expected to be fit for the World Cup,” a BCCI insider said.