IND vs SL: Even A World-Class Batter Like Babar Azam Could Not Read Jasprit Bumrah, Says Sunil Gavaskar

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praise on Jasprit Bumrah for his impressive display during the India vs Pakistan match in the Super 4 of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. Bowling in an ODI match for the first time since July last year, Jasprit Bumrah hit the ground running.

The right arm looked sharp right from the word go as he troubled the Pakistani batters with his pace, bounce, and swing. Jasprit Bumrah bowled five overs in his first spell and had Pakistan batsmen in all sorts of trouble. Out of the 30 deliveries that he bowled, he extracted a false response as many as 17 times as he looked almost unplayable.

He also gave India the first breakthrough by dismissing in-form Imam-ul-Haq with a beauty. The India pace spearhead set the tone for India’s domination with the ball and his fellow bowlers fully capitalized on it. After the fast bowlers put India on top, Kuldeep Yadav ran through Pakistan’s lower and middle order as India bowled out Pakistan for just 128 while defending 356. The 228-run win is India’s biggest ODI win over Pakistan in terms of runs.

Sunil Gavaskar praises Jasprit Bumrah:

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has lavished praise on Jasprit Bumrah, saying that the bowler looked in great rhythm against Pakistan. Speaking to Sports Tak’s Vikrant Gupta, the former cricketer-turned-commentator stated that it was an all-round performance from India.

“If the game against Pakistan would’ve been washed out, there would have been doubts over India being able to reach the final. It was an all-round performance from India and they registered a fantastic victory against Pakistan. India completely dominated Pakistan,” said Sunil Gavaskar.

Speaking further, Sunil Gavaskar highlighted KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah’s impressive performances. He stated that Rahul has allayed fears regarding his fitness by keeping after scoring the century. Talking about Jasprit Bumrah, Sunil Gavaskar said that even Babar Azam was finding it difficult to read the pacer.

“KL Rahul didn’t just score a century but he kept the wickets as well, setting aside all concerns regarding his fitness. Jasprit Bumrah was also in great rhythm. He was he was running in and swinging the ball both ways was some great bowling.

“Even a world-class batter like Babar Azam could not determine where the ball was going. This Indian team is ready and I hope they continue this rhythm in the Asia Cup and the World Cup,” said Gavaskar.

India will next play against Sri Lanka on Tuesday (September 12). A win against Sri Lanka will seal India’s place in the final of the Asia Cup 2023.