Robin Uthappa Feels Harshal Patel And Jasprit Bumrah Will Be A Formidable Pair In Death Overs For India

Indian batter Robin Uthappa said that Harshal Patel could be paired with Jasprit Bumrah in the death overs for India.

Harshal Patel, 30, made his international debut for India in the second T20I match against New Zealand on Friday in Ranchi.

Harshal Patel registered figures of 2/25 on his debut

The Haryana bowler got the wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Tim Seifert and was also successful in controlling the runs in death overs, his four-over spell ended with figures of 2/25.

Harshal Patel and Jasprit Bumrah will set up a formidable pair: Robin Uthappa

Over the years Bumrah has emerged as one of the fiercest bowlers in death overs and has turned the game for India in many games with his sharp yorkers and other bowling variations.

Uthappa feels that if Harshal and Bumrah bowl together in death overs then it will be a dynamic change for India in future.

“If you would consider just a death bowling spot, then Harshal Patel is right up there for me along with Bumrah. The kind of skills he possesses and the way he is executing those skills, not just possession of skills but the way you execute those skills also matter, especially under pressure. Incredible how he came back in his last over, that just shows he’s got the stuff,” Uthappa told ESPNCricinfo.

“The ability to set up your back overs is so important in T20 Cricket. If Harshal Patel has the skillset and we obviously know that Bumrah does, that brings a whole new dynamic to how you map out your 20 overs. Bowlers can be more attacking in the powerplay because they know you have those overs locked away at the back end.

“There are very few bowlers who can do that, and if India have two of them in Bumrah and Harshal Patel that sets them up for being a formidable team,” he added. 

India eventually won the second match by seven wickets as they chased New Zealand’s target of 154 with 16 balls to spare.

Harshal Patel impressed everyone with his bowling sharpness in IPL 2021, where he picked up 32 wickets for Royal Challengers Bangalore, the joint-highest in a single edition with West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.

Also Read: IND vs NZ 2021: Ajay Jadeja Credits IPL For Justifying Harshal Patel’s Talent