Though it may be a convoy for the Men in Blue in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 held in USA and WI. Former India Captain, Kapil Dev also has similar views about the current Indian Skipper Rohit Sharma saying that maybe he is not extracting the best out of his lead bowler, Jasprit Bumrah.
Kapil Dev’s Concern: Is India’s Bowling Strategy Stifling Its Best Asset?
Another all-round praised cricketer of his time, Kapil Dev, also did not comprehend Rohit Sharma’s strategy of not using Bumrah at the beginning of the bowling innings, while the bowler had the company of a new ball in his hand to set his sights on the opposition batsman early.
Bumrah has so far operated as the first-change bowler in the Indian bowling lineup across the LOIs, but Kapil Dev is of the view that throwing your best bowler up front is a far more aggressive strategy than the trend of having a bowler sitting back and waiting for the batsmen to coming.
“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.
Kapil Dev Hails Bumrah’s Journey: From Injury Battles to Becoming a World-Class Bowler
“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.
Returning back to the planning of India with respect to their bowling, the scribe opines that in all probabilities, the Indians could be better off putting pressure from the word ‘go’; and go with Bumrah, who could provide you a couple of wickets as the initial breakthrough 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.