Selectors Went On Reputation To A Certain Extent - Saba Karim On Jasprit Bumrah's Disappointing Show In WTC Final
Published - 26 Jun 2021, 06:26 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:48 AM
For only the second time in his three-and-a-half years in Test cricket, Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless in an entire Test match – unfortunately for India, this blip in their ace pacer’s career came in the biggest game in Test cricket, the ICC World Test Championship Final, against New Zealand in Southampton.
The previous occasion for a wicketless game for Jasprit Bumrah was the Test before the WTC Final – against England in Ahmedabad. This is what former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim underlines while saying that the selectors went with the name of the pacer and not his form.
He points out the Jasprit Bumrah missed two Tests against England and had only the IPL experience coming into the mega-clash with the Kiwis.
“I feel the selectors did not pay attention to the current form and went on reputation to a certain extent. Jasprit Bumrah has not played red-ball cricket since he got injured in Australia,” Saba Karim said while speaking with India News.
“He has only played white-ball cricket and that too only the T20s. He did not play in the home series against England. I felt he was woefully out of form and along with that out of practice if we talk about red-ball cricket.”
Jasprit Bumrah couldn’t catch the length required in the entire Test match: Saba Karim
Saba Karim observed that Jasprit Bumrah didn’t bowl fuller, as the New Zealand pacers did, and instead stuck to his good length deliveries, which, he believes, are not as effective in English conditions as full balls are.
The former keeper reckons the speedster bowled well in the second innings and was finding his rhythm, which would serve him well in the 5-Test series against hosts England starting August 4 at Trent Bridge.
“To a certain extent, I felt he was getting back his rhythm in the second innings spell he bowled, he was also unlucky at times.
“But in the end, he couldn’t catch the length that is required in red-ball cricket, especially in conducive conditions, in the entire Test match. I feel this is a very big area of concern and it is required to rectify this in the upcoming series,” the 53-year-old concluded.
