New York, June 10
Under bright sunshine at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, Jasprit Bumrah reminded everyone about his prowess in the death overs when his sensational spell of 3-14, including 15 dot balls, got India a six-run win over Pakistan in the Men’s T20 World Cup.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif was left in awe of Bumrah's stupendous performance and said his arrival for a second spell was the turning point of the match, adding that he showed why the side missed him so much in the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
"This is just the beginning. We talked about this last time in the World Cup. We missed him so much in 2022. Bumrah comes here and this is the turning point. Batter was set and he was planning to hit a six. He missed the catch on the first ball. Rizwan likes to cut and pull. Bumrah knows exactly which ball to hit, while the batter doesn't know where to hit the ball.
"He hit the ball in front and got up there and then caught Iftikhar with his speed. He must have been disappointed. He could have hit the ball at a good height. But this is Bumrah's class. If we look at Bumrah's last over, he is hitting a slower bouncer, yorker and an on-pace ball. Batter doesn't know which ball is coming, as Bumrah knows exactly how to play in the death overs," said Kaif to Star Sports.
He also lauded skipper Rohit Sharma for rightfully saving up and allocating Bumrah’s overs in the match, especially after eyebrows were raised over him not being handed the new ball in defence of 119 against Pakistan.
"I think he used it correctly, and he is a good captain. Because last over was in the 19th over, he had to stop them. That's why in a low-scoring game, people say, what is 119? You let your main bowler bowl first, right. They know exactly that Bumrah has to keep him in the middle of the over.
"Each over was like a diamond in the rough. That's how much each of his deliveries were worth it in this match. Bumrah bowled his deliveries correctly and no matter how much you praise him, whether it's a Test match, ODI or T20, he is a great player."
Similar views were echoed by former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. "We have seen on this ground that you are never out of the match, because when you have 120 runs, it is not that easy here to defend. The way the ball was moving off the pitch, it is never easy for any batter. The way he was bowling the balls, he knows that yorker is good."
"But here, he didn't use yorker that much, as he knew there is help in the pitch. He used the pitch, whether it was a fast ball or a slow ball, to his benefit. So, this comes from experience and Bumrah has so much experience. He knows when to put in a slower or faster ball," Chawla added.
India, the 2007 T20 World Cup winners, now sit on top of Group A points table and will next face co-hosts USA in New York on Wednesday.
