Former Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar is confident that Jasprit Bumrah will play an integral role in the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand. The final begins on June 18 at The Rose Bowl Stadium in Southampton. Bumrah can prove to be very tricky at the start of the innings and Tendulkar thinks that the opposition batsmen have to be on their guard while facing him.
Speaking to ANI, Tendulkar said that Bumrah’s bowling action makes it even more difficult for batsmen to judge him since it gives them less time to react. Tendulkar also called him a ‘world class bowler.’
“I was told that when a bowler is bowling well, stand at the non-striker’s end (laughs). Jokes apart, Bumrah is a world-class bowler, his action is slightly awkward, I have played him in the nets and his action is awkward. He is quicker than you think. He hits the bat hard so one can say because his action is odd, you get less time to react,” Tendulkar said.
He also added that the batsmen desperately need to get their eye in before they play their shots in the final. Bumrah holds the ability to deliver a ‘knockout punch’ before the batsman has found time to settle. “Be ready for that, the first crucial moments are extremely critical. If you survive, understand and get used to his bowling action, then things can change gradually,” he added.
Tendulkar also said that India need to be balanced in their approach during the final. He also spoke about Ishant Sharma who’s a veteran of the side and has played over 100 Test matches for the country. The 48-year-old believes that Ishant Sharma understands the English conditions better than anyone else and will play a critical role.
“Ishant would play a critical role, but I would leave it to the management because they understand which bowler is bowling well in the nets they also had an intra-squad game and batters would have given their feedback too to the coach and captain on whether the ball is hitting the bat hard enough to show the bowler is in a good rhythm. That is something we need to understand and then pick the final XI,” he explained.
