Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra wants captain Suryakumar Yadav not to bowl Jasprit Bumrah for three straight overs but urged the skipper to save his overs for the death. Bumrah had a rare off-day against Pakistan as he went wicketless and conceded 45 runs in his quota of four overs.
In the ongoing continental tournament, Bumrah is bowling three overs on the trot and one over towards the fag end of the innings. However, Chopra urged SKY to avoid this bowling strategy and keep Bumrah’s two overs for the death.
“The big question is whether Jasprit Bumrah’s utilization is alright. I would say it’s not alright. What you have been doing thus far is wrong. It was an anomaly that Jasprit Bumrah conceded so many runs in the last match. He is not going to be so expensive always, but you are getting him to bowl three overs,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Are you trying to find out whether Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube can together bowl two or three overs from the 17th to 20th overs? No, avoid this, please. It’s almost mandatory to hold back Bumrah’s two overs because you have partnerships in the middle sometimes,” he added.
On the other hand, the renowned commentator said Shubman Gill has answered the questions regarding his place as an opener. Gill scored a crucial knock of 47 runs against Pakistan off just 28 balls and added 105 runs with Abhishek Sharma.
“The second question was about Shubman Gill. The way he has played, the debate is settled slightly. Why is Shubman Gill necessary? If you see the last two World Cups, 200 runs are not scored when the top teams play. They are scored rarely. 250 to 300 runs are scored in bilaterals,” Chopra said.
“We will score 250 in Australia and then against South Africa and New Zealand, but when our team reaches the World Cup, we will play slightly cautiously. The opposition will also play cautiously because the pressure of a multi-nation tournament is different. In such a scenario, you need somebody who can bat really deep into the innings,” he added.
India will next take on Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Wednesday.
