Junaid Khan has criticized India’s bowling after the visiting team lost the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. The hosts thumped the Men in Blue by 2-0, their first win against the rivals since 1997. Indian batters were unable to handle the Sri Lanka spinners throughout the series and were dismissed in three games. Indian bowlers were not impactful and struggled to take scalps. Junaid Khan feels Indian bowling is nothing without Jasprit Bumrah.
Jasprit Bumrah who was the key figure in India’s WT20 triumph in the Caribbean was rested from the entire Sri Lankan tour foreseeing India’s workload management system ahead of huge WTC cycle ahead including India’s tour down under by the year end. However it seemed other bowlers in absence of Bumrah in the Sri Lankan ODI series were vulnerable and unable to provide match winning performances.
India surrender to Sri Lanka in 3 match ODI Series
Jasprit Bumrah has been given a long break after the successful ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. He missed the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe and was also kept out of the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. Bumrah was named the Player of the Tournament in the World Cup for taking 15 wickets at an average of 8.26.
Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh were below-par in his absence. The left-arm pacer was also dropped from the playing XI in the final game to include Riyan Parag. After beating Sri Lanka 3-0 in the T20I series, India were the favourites for the ODI games. The first contest ended in a tie, while Lanka won the second by 32 runs. In the third and final game, the victors were outplayed entirely as the host nation won the match by 110 runs.
After beating the Men in Blue in the three-match T20Is, Rohit Sharma and company were touted as favorites to win the ODIs. More so because they haven’t lost a bilateral series against the Lankans since 1997. Leading 1-0 heading into the final game, the hosts opted to bat first after winning the toss. Led by Avishka Fernando’s 96, they posted 248 runs in 50 overs.
In reply, the Men in Blue got off to a flier but crumbled once the spinners came into the fray. They were eventually bundled out for 138, losing the game by 110 runs. Former Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan has slammed Team India’s bowling attack after they went down to Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series. Rohit Sharma and company lost 2-0 – their first series loss against the Lankans since 1997.
Junaid Khan slams Men in Blue after 3 Match ODI series defeat to Sri Lanka
Former Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan has slammed Team India’s bowling attack after they went down to Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series. Rohit Sharma and company lost 2-0 – their first series loss against the Lankans since 1997.
Spinners from both teams dominated the entire series. However, the Sri Lankan bowlers were more effective as they bundled out India on all three occasions. The Men in Blue bowlers, on the other hand, struggled to find a similar bite and allowed the Lankan batters to build partnerships.
Junaid called out the Indian bowling attack, saying it is toothless without ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah. He also asked fans whether they agreed with his comments or not.
Taking to X, the former left-arm pacer wrote:
“Would you agree? Without Bumrah, India’s bowling is zero… #INDvSL #SLVSIND.”
Jasprit Bumrah was rested for the entire white-ball series against Sri Lanka after a tiring 2024 T20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies and the USA. The right-arm pacer emerged as the Player of the Tournament, leading India’s pace attack from the front with 15 wickets at a stunning average of 8.26.
In his absence, the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh failed to make an impact against Sri Lanka. The latter was even left out of the playing XI from the final game to accommodate an extra spinner in Riyan Parag. Gautam Gambhir, the news Indian head coach, had a great start of his maiden tenure, with the Suryakumar Yadav-led Team India crushing the Sri Lanka cricket team in all three matches and winning the T20I series with a 3-0 margin in Kandy.
However, Gambhir’s experimental tactic backfired in the three-match ODI series, where the spinners were on roll from both sides, but the hosts spinners were too tough to handle for the Indian batters, including for the likes of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer. The Islanders bundled out the Indian cricket team in all three matches, exposing their vulnerability against the strong spin attack on the spinning conditions despite being one of the best in the world and having the history of dominating the spinners.
India had a really embarrassing day, bowling out for just 138 runs while chasing a 249-run target for victory in the third and final ODI on Wednesday in Colombo. With this historic win, Sri Lanka has finally won an ODI series against India after 27 years in great fashion. They lifted the trophy after winning the home series by a 2-0 margin against the Men in Blue in Colombo.
Well, apart from the batters, Indian bowlers were not also impressive at all, and they certainly missed their magical pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the ODI series. Bumrah has been the biggest savior for India across the formats over the years, and yet again, his absence exposed their weak link.