T20 World Cup 2021: Muttiah Muralitharan Reckons India Are Over Reliant On Jasprit Bumrah, Opts For Inclusion Of An Extra Spinner To Add Balance

Former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was worried about India being over-reliant on Jasprit Bumrah to deliver and suggested some changes to get the right balance. With Pakistan and England starting strong so far in the ICC T20 World cup 2021 super 12 stages, India will now face the pressure of a must-win situation from here on to make it to the semi-finals stages.

After a 12 match unbeaten streak in WorldCup fixtures against Pakistan, India suffered their first loss and ended the jinx recently. However, it was one of the most humiliating defeats as well. India did not pick up a single wicket against Pakistan batters, and the top order collapse is something India cannot afford to have in their T20 side especially.

Muttiah Muralitharan Feels Hardik Pandya Should Start Bowling For India

India went in with the five bowler theory for the Pakistan game, and they were left with no options once Shami was taken to the cleaners. It is expected to happen frequently, and Muttiah Muralitharan reckoned that the over-dependence on Bumrah should be reduced. He also suggested including an extra spinner into the lineup, with R Ashwin being an option.

“The team which concerns me in that regard (bowling) is India. Jasprit Bumrah is a match-winner but they look a bit reliant on him at the moment on the bowling side,”

“They could do with a leg spinner in the team, or maybe Ravichandran Ashwin. It might be a case of going down to two fast bowlers and relying on Hardik Pandya to bowl. It is about finding the right balance and not relying too much on Bumrah”, Muttiah Muralitharan wrote in his column for ICC.

Muralitharan Picks The Best Positioned Team At The Moment

Muralitharan also was impressed with Pakistan’s performance and picked them to be at the best position at the moment after winning India and New Zealand. He added that Pakistan needs to be careful about having off days as well, like West Indies.

“When it comes to the team in the best position though, I think Pakistan are looking good because they have already beaten the two strongest teams in their group in India and New Zealand.

“They have so much talent, which has always been the case, but like the West Indies, in the past they used to have those off days where they played really badly,” He added.

India will next play New Zealand in a Group 2 fixture tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see their combination.

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