Jasprit Bumrah's Bowling Under Scrutiny After MCG T20I
In the second T20I at Melbourne Cricket Ground, India managed only 125 runs, with Jasprit Bumrah delivering 4 overs, taking 2 wickets, and conceding 26 runs. Despite his wickets, Bumrah’s bowling lengths drew criticism from former India batter Robin Uthappa.
Uthappa’s Analysis of Bumrah’s Performance
Uthappa highlighted that Bumrah tends to become erratic when trying too hard to take wickets early in the innings. He said the start of the bowling after scoring 125 was crucial, and if India had taken two or three early wickets, the contest could have been tighter.
“When we were bowling after scoring 125, the start was very important. If we had picked up two or three wickets in the first three or four overs, the game could have been closer because we have quality spinners in the middle overs. I felt we were probably trying too hard to pick up wickets. So we got a little wayward.”
“I have observed that whenever Bumrah gets desperate to pick up wickets, he becomes slightly wayward, and when he is disciplined and hits a good line and length, he mostly picks up wickets. Australia took full advantage of that waywardness at the start, the way we started with the ball in the second innings.”
Concerns Over India’s Batting Display
The 2007 World Cup winner also expressed disappointment over India’s batting effort, noting the only positives were Abhishek Sharma’s half-century and a brief contribution from Harshit Rana.
Summary
Robin Uthappa believes Jasprit Bumrah’s occasional waywardness when desperate affected India’s bowling after a low total, while India’s batting lacked significant contributions except for a couple of standout performances.