Former India player Irfan Pathan had high praise for seamer Jasprit Bumrah, calling him the most skillful bowler India has ever produced. Bumrah will make his return to the national side in the upcoming T20I series against Australia, his first since playing the 2-match Test series against West Indies earlier this month.
“Bumrah’s economy of 6 is simply unbelievable. According to me India has never had a more skillful bowler. There hasn’t been a more skillful bowler produced by India than Jasprit Bumrah. Don’t know about the future, but currently, there is no comparison. Wherever his role is very important in the T20Is, like the new ball, 1-2 overs in the middle and the at the end 1-1. Combination will be important and we’ll see how Suryakumar Yadav uses Bumrah,” said Pathan on his YouTube channel.
On Surya’s form
The former allrounder also said that skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s recent lack of runs was a bit of a concern heading into the Australia series but said that the pitches Down Under should suit him and help the Mumbai batter get back to his best.
“One cause of concern is skipper Surya’s batting and his form. If you see the numbers for the last few years, he had a strike rate of 166 and no one made more runs than him. Now if the average is going towards 20 and you are struggling to make runs that means your form is down. Will Surya make runs in Australia? I think the pitches should suit him. He uses the pace of the bowlers and he plays well square of the wicket, it’s ideal for Surya. If you recall, when Surya debuted, he used the pace of Jofra Archer and played a shot. If a player plays that kind of a shot, it’s his strength. If the pitches suit his strengths then it’ll be easier for him to come back to form,” Pathan said.
India will play Australia in a 5-match T20I series, starting with the first match on Wednesday at Canberra. The second match will be at Melbourne, followed by the third at Hobart. The last two matches will take place in Gold Coast and Brisbane.
