India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav came out in support of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was expected to revel in an odyssey, but became the central figure of the horror show during their six-wicket win over arch-rival Pakistan in the Super Fours clash at the ongoing Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
Bumrah, a certified modern-day legend, known for his art to make the ball obey to his will, cantered without purpose. After resting him for the final group-stage fixture against Oman, Bumrah returned to the final XI, looking to hit the strides and cause a stir in the powerplay.
The strategy behind his utilisation was simple: three overs in the powerplay and preserving the final for the death. In his opening over, Fakhar Zaman reeled in back-to-back boundaries, a foreshadowing of the torment he was going to endure. He missed his nail-biting yorkers and bowled a couple of no-balls, adding to his misery.
Despite overutilising his craft, Bumrah chased shadows of his past self and returned with figures of 0/45. Throughout his spell, he created a single wicket-taking opportunity, which was dropped by vice-captain Shubman Gill, which pretty much summed up his dreadful night.
The Indian skipper wasn’t too bothered about Bumrah’s futile run and said during the post-match presentation, “That’s fine, he’s not a robot, he will have a bad day someday (talking about Bumrah). Dube bailed us out of the situation.”
With Bumrah malfunctioning, Shivam Dube took the onus of finding the much-needed breakthrough. With a scrambled seam and deliveries bereft of pace, Dube dismissed set batters Sahibzada Farhan (58) and Saim Ayub (21), which was the turning point of the rivalry clash.
The brawny all-rounder returned with figures of 2/33 and slowed down Pakistan’s momentum before the death. With a late surge from Faheem Ashraf, Pakistan managed to put 171/5 on the board, their highest against India in T20Is while batting first. In reply, Abhishek Sharma (74) and Gill (47) laid the groundwork of India’s successful chase and kept the winning streak in the tournament intact.
