IND vs SA: “It's Not As If We Would Have To Do Something Extra”- Bhuvneshwar Kumar Says Jasprit Bumrah Not Playing Is A Big Loss

Ace India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has admitted that the absence of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is indeed a huge loss for the Indian team in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, but also asserted that it doesn’t mean the bowling unit starts to do something out of the box.

Indian team has done pretty well, winning both of its first two matches in the Group 2 Super 12s stage. The Men in Blue first defeated Pakistan in Melbourne Cricket Ground by 4 wickets in a humdinger of a match and then recently defeated the Netherlands in their second match at the Sydney Cricket Ground by 56 runs.

While Bumrah was ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a back stress fracture, Bhuvneshwar himself had endured a tough time during Asia Cup and the subsequent bilateral series as his performance in death overs came under the scanner.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar came into his own against the Netherlands as he bowled two consecutive maiden overs and picked the wicket of Vikramjit Singh.

Even If Jasprit Bumrah Would Have Been Around, We Couldn’t Have Done Those Extra Things: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The Meerut-born pacer created pressure against Pakistan with swing and seam which helped Arshdeep Singh dismiss Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam against Pakistan. Hence when the reporters asked Bhuvneshwar Kumar if they did something extra to compensate for the loss of Jasprit Bumrah, he said no.

“The kind of bowler Bumrah is, certainly a big loss for the team. It’s not as if we would have to do something extra that Bumrah isn’t around. Even if Bumrah would have been around, we couldn’t have done those extra things. We are doing exactly what our strengths are,” Bhuvneshwar Kumar was quoted b New Indian Express.

When asked if the criticism about his Asia Cup death bowling had hurt him having done admirably well for India for a decade, his answer was not an amusing one.

“Itni saalon mein ek baar ho gayi cheezein kharab. So ho gayi. Baat khatm. (In all these years, I have had this one-off tournament. It’s happened. It’s done and dusted). Media and commentators can say a lot of things (about death bowling), but as a team, we knew that we will have our share of ups and downs. T20 is a format where it could be tough for bowlers and even for batters if the track is difficult one. But since Asia Cup is a big event people do tend to assess you that much more,” he added.

India will next face South Africa in Perth on Sunday and if they win this match, the Men in Blue will more or less confirm their spot in the semi-finals.