"Jasprit Bumrah doesn't need any help from pitch" - Harbhajan Singh warns India not to fall in trap of rank turners

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh questioned the Indian pitches for Test matches ahead of the third match against England. He believes that India have extraordinary players in the ranks and they don’t need any help from the pitches to take wickets. 

India’s pitches in the last few months have come under a lot of scrutiny. The BCCI has been asking pitch curators to prepare rank turners, which has helped the team finish games early but it has also resulted in several Indian batters struggling to get going as well. 

In the ongoing Test series against England, pitches have been decent, favoring batters and bowlers both. This has allowed both teams to utilize the conditions and put each other under pressure. The good surfaces have allowed fans to witness at least a 4-day Test match, which of late has been getting over only in three days. 

Harbhajan Singh believes that Team India management needs to think about their approach to preparing rank turners. He pointed out the performance of Jasprit Bumrah in the two Tests against England, saying that the fast bowler doesn’t need any help from pitches. 

Harbhajan Singh pointed out that India need to understand that the opposition these days is more prepared and they need to make sure that they don’t fall into their own trap. Speaking to Gulf News, he explained: 

“Somewhere down the line, Team India management need to sit and think that whether this is the right approach to take it forward or not. India has got a great team with some extraordinary players in their line-up. Someone like Bumrah doesn’t need any help from the pitch to perform, he is such a bowler. 

“We have enough spinners and batters but what India need to understand is that the rivals are as much prepared as they are so they need to ensure that they prepare pitches where they don’t fall into their own trap.” 

Jasprit Bumrah notably has been the best performer for India in the ongoing series. The fast bowler in spin-favoured conditions has oozed his class and has picked up 15 wickets in the two games. He is expected to play a huge role in the series going ahead. 

One should be able to win the match even after losing the toss – Harbhajan Singh 

Harbhajan Singh further pointed out the drawback of preparing rank turners. He said that in that pitch result gets decided based on the toss. He emphasized the need to win the match on those pitches even after losing the toss. He expressed: 

“In that scenario, the toss becomes critical and if you lose the toss the result becomes a foregone conclusion. One should be able to win the match even after losing the toss and it can’t happen on such pitches.” 

All the eyes will be on the pitch for the third Test between India and England. The match will be played from 15th February in Rajkot. The five-match series between the teams is leveled at 1-1. It remains to be seen who will emerge as the winner in the third game.