India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has backed Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the Super Fours clash against Bangladesh in the ongoing Asia Cup. Bumrah had a rare off day against arch-rivals Pakistan at Dubai on Sunday as he went wicketless and conceded 45 runs in his quota of four overs.
The ace pacer could not execute his deliveries and bowled a lot of full tosses, which hardly happens. However, Bumrah has been India’s best bowler across all formats and he would be determined to bounce back strongly.
Ryan ten Doeschate said in the press conference, “He’s gone very well. It wasn’t his most polished performance against Pakistan the other night. But, we also understand, he’s doing an exceptionally tough job to bowl the first three overs, with two out and the last or second last over of the innings, where guys are going [after the bowling].”
The former Dutch batter backed the team’s decision to pick a spin-heavy bowling attack in the UAE conditions.
“Again, easy to look at 0-45 on the night, but we are still happy with that. There are going to be days when he doesn’t get wickets and he’s going to go for runs. But, in terms of how we set up the team, with two seamers and going spin-heavy, we feel at the moment that’s the best job. We can be flexible, but tried to close out the powerplay the other night when Pakistan were going well. He was the right option.”
Ryan played down suggestions that Bumrah could be rested for the clash against Bangladesh.
“There’s a game tonight and our game tomorrow. So, we’ll have a better understanding of how the table sits. It’s very unlikely that you are going into the last game knowing you have qualified. So, it’s unlikely that he’ll get a rest. Also, bearing in mind, we have a Test match starting on Thursday. So, it’s actually quite good preparation in terms of workload management.
“If he plays all the games, he’ll bowl in the region of 25-26 overs, with training and preparation, which is a fairly good number before a Test. If we have the luxury to have that option in the last game, we can look at it. But, I’d say we are going to pick our best team for every game and he obviously fits in that picture,” the 45-year-old concluded.
India will next take on Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on Wednesday.
