Gavaskar backs Bumrah to shine in Asia Cup, says no workload worries

Guwahati, Sept 6: Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is all set to lead the bowling attack in the Asia Cup beginning September 9 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Questions have been raised about his workload after he skipped two matches in the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy Test series against England last month.

Many felt the injury-prone bowler could have opted out of the Asia Cup to stay fresh for the longer format against West Indies and South Africa.

The Assam Tribune sought the opinion of batting legend Sunil Gavaskar on the issue. The former India captain made it clear that Bumrah playing in the Asia Cup will not be a problem.

“Workload is something that the player himself has to look at. The way I look at it is very simple — that when you are playing for India, you should be giving it everything and you should not be thinking about anything other than the honour and the privilege of playing for India,” Gavaskar said during a Zoom interaction conducted by Sony Sports Network for select media outlets.

In the five-match Test series in England, Bumrah bowled 718 deliveries and claimed 14 wickets. Gavaskar pointed out that the T20 format requires a very different effort.

“I don't think a four-over spell is going to have too much of an effect on Bumrah. Because four overs again, he will not be bowling four overs at a stretch. He will be bowling maybe two overs at the start, one in the middle and one towards the end. So I don't think that should be a worry as far as the workload is concerned. India’s matches are also well spaced out. There is nothing to worry about,” he said.

The former opener went on to hail Bumrah as the world’s most dangerous fast bowler at the moment.

“Talking about Jasprit Bumrah's talent, there’s no two minds about it. He is the most dangerous fast bowler in the world. It seems that the pitch does not matter to him. You could ask him to bowl on any surface and he will take a wicket. In the Asia Cup, where he has to bowl just four overs, I don’t think there will be any problem for him to play this tournament,” Gavaskar said.

On Shubman Gill, who is making a return to the T20 side as vice-captain, Gavaskar was equally optimistic.

“He has been very successful in the T20 format in the IPL. In the kind of form that he is in, where he scored more than 750 runs in the just concluded Test series, that really augurs well even for this tournament. Having him back in the team was a no-brainer,” he added.

With India dominating in both T20 and 50-over formats in the last several matches, the charm of the traditional India-Pakistan rivalry, has faded in recent years. What does Gavaskar think?

“Definitely (the charm is lost). I will be surprised if India don’t win their matches comfortably. Not just against Pakistan, but also against Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. The Indian team, over the last couple of years, has been superb and in great form,” he said.

The batting great also highlighted the Asia Cup as an opportunity for India to zero in on a dependable finisher ahead of the T20 World Cup next year.

“They have got Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma as options. They will have to decide on two or three for the World Cup squad. Death bowling is another area. Obviously Bumrah will bowl two overs at the end, but who takes the other two will be something to identify in this tournament,” Gavaskar said.

On team combination, Gavaskar suggested India could go with six bowling options.

“My feeling is that they might look to go with Axar Patel at 7, Kuldeep Yadav at 8, and then three fast bowlers at 9, 10 and 11. That makes four pacers, including Hardik Pandya and two spinners, which is always a good balance. Sometimes, if one bowler has a bad day, another can step in. So having six bowlers would be a good idea,” Gavaskar said.

India will begin their Asia Cup campaign against the UAE on September 10 before the much-anticipated clash against Pakistan in Dubai four days later.