Questions may surround India’s batting heading into the T20 World Cup regarding form and combinations. However, if there is one name among bowlers that is certain to feature in all the games, it’s Jasprit Bumrah. The India pace spearhead is all set to play his third T20 World Cup, having being forced to miss the last one in Australia due to injury. And if India are to go all the way, a huge chunk of it will depend on how Bumrah operates with the new ball.
Glenn McGrath, the former Australia quick, is perhaps the most complete fast bowler of all time. So when something comes from you, it ought to be serious. McGrath tipped Mitchell Starc of Australia and India’s Bumrah to be instrumental in their team’s chances but raised a pretty valid question. Who besides Bumrah? India have the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh as the other two frontline pacers in their squad of 15, along with Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube, but McGrath reckons that one of them will have to step up to take the load off Bumrah.
“We saw Starc at the end of the IPL. He came into his own, which was good to see. Bumrah just seems to be the one bowler that batters find it hard, even in T20s, to get on top of. So, I think if Australia is to win this World Cup, Starc has to bowl well. A lot of it relies on him. And Bumrah for India, but then it is who’s going to take wickets around Bumrah and who’s going to bowl well around him,” McGrath said at the MRF Pace Foundation ground.
At the last T20 World Cup, Arshdeep led the Indian attack, opening the bowling along with Mohammed Shami, who replaced the injured Bumrah. But over the last two years, Siraj’s rise has overshadowed Arshdeep, with the left-arm pacer relegated to India’s second-string squads. He was part of India’s gold medal-winning Asia Cup campaign last year and missed out on the Asia Cup and World Cup berths.
Arshdeep-Bumrah or Siraj-Bumrah?
Then again, Arshdeep has always been more of a T20 bowler and hence, has jumped right back into contention. Siraj’s high economy rate may allow Arshdeep to edge past him as Bumrah’s new-ball partner, but regardless of whoever it is, he needs to fire on all cylinders. Arshdeep and Bumrah will give India the advantage of a left-arm, right-arm combination and while it may not always be a deal-breaker, it certainly isn’t something batters are fond of, reckons McGrath.
“You got Jasprit Bumrah. He showed just how good he is throughout the IPL (he picked 20 wickets from 13 matches for Mumbai Indians). But it is like having a left-right opening combination for batters. It also depends on how they are bowling. In T20s, you do not have much time to be ready. If you take an over or two to warm up, the game is already over. If you have got a good opening-bowling combination, that is where you are going to win matches,” the Aussie legend said.