Unlike the last T20 World Cup when he was perhaps not at his best physically, he has played 24 T20Is this year – more than any Indian player – and is currently doing conditioning-related work at the NCA. The 32-year-old swing bowler will have to take over as the leader of the attack and deliver without fail game after game. The pressure, though, will be felt most acutely by Bhuvneshwar. Given that he has been picked on the basis of being a specialist in that phase, he will know that he has to be better than what those figures suggest.
Since recovering from a rib injury that sidelined him from the Asia Cup, he has conceded runs at an economy of 10.41 in four matches. He bowled three of his overs in the powerplay as a result, providing a versatility that Harshal perhaps doesn't. His notable IPL performances have largely centred on his sound execution in the death overs, but the 23-year-old displayed in ample measure that he also has the tools to swing the new ball either way and provide breakthroughs. On a pitch that provided generous assistance to the pacers, Arshdeep demonstrated a hitherto unseen facet of his bowling.
#Growing up skipper outfits series#
That Bumrah has an economy rate of 6.62 and a strike rate of 18.3 over 60 T20Is typifies his sustained excellence.Īgainst South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, India could take some solace from coping well in the absence of Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar – who is resting for the series – coasting to an eight-wicket victory on the back of Arshdeep taking 3/32 in his four overs.
Even the knowledge that Bumrah had a couple of overs up his sleeve would sometimes work in India's favour.
While India may still find other bowlers who do a job with the new ball, there was a certain assuredness with which you could hand the ball to Bumrah in the slog overs or when a game is on a knife-edge. Where Bumrah stands out among any of his contemporaries is in his nerveless mastery in the death overs.
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