Bumrah‘s Asia โCup Inclusion Praised as strategic Move by AB de Villiers
Jasprit Bumrah’s selection for the Asia Cup this โmonth in the UAE came as a bit of a surprise, given India’s bowling depth and available options. Despite being widely regarded as one of the premier T20 โbowlers of all time, India possessed otherโค capable players who could have filled the role.
[Image of Jasprit Bumrah during the Asia Cup – sourced from hindustan Times, credited to ANI]
India’s โJasprit Bumrah willโ beโ next seen in action โduring the Asia Cup(ANI)
Though, former South African cricketer AB de Villiers believesโ India’s depth, combined with Bumrah’s proven performance in โcrucial matches, could beโค a notable advantage. Speaking on his YouTube channel,โ de Villiers predicted Bumrah would be strategicallyโ deployed against the tournament’s stronger opponents.
“Great to see him in the squad, fit and ready to go. Iโ don’t think he will play all theโค games. I saw reports saying he will be earmarked for the games that matter and I love thatโ aboutโฃ the โฃselectors being proactive,” de Villiers stated, praising the selection commitee led by Ajit Agarkar. “That’s how you should be managing โyourโค seniorโ and most โคimpactful players.”
De Villiers also expressed โคhis expectation that โขBumrah will returnโค to peak โฃform, highlighting the importance of careful player management, particularly as players age. He noted that Bumrah had โฃpreviously been sidelined from a majorโ tournament – the Champions Trophyโ -โ due to an injuryโฃ sustained after what some considered overwork during the โBorder-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
“It’s notโฃ like they are picking and choosing.So much cricket theseโ days that for your older guys, over age 30, โขtheir workโ has taken โคits โtoll โover the years,”โข de Villiers explained. “Some selectors understand itโค andโ some don’t. And once you start managing these players, you โwill get the best out of them and I love it that they’ve started doing that withโ Jasprit โBumrah.”
While Bumrah appeared slightly below his usualโข standard inโข England, de Villiers suggested that rather than pushing him to regain form through consistentโฃ play, captain Suryakumar Yadav mightโ find greater benefit โin utilizing him โas โคa specialist bowler in the later stages of the tournament, specifically against โmore challenging teams.India maintainsโ a strong bowling lineup with other frontline options available, including Arshdeepโ Singh, Harshit Rana, and Hardik Pandya, providing Gautam Gambhir and Yadav with โample choices.