After India’s six-wicket win over Pakistan in the Super Fours stage of the Asia Cup in Dubai, India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav backed fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah was expected to play a big role but he struggled in the match.
Bumrah, known for his control, didn’t look himself. After sitting out the previous game against Oman, he was back in the team and looking to make an impact early on. The plan was to use him for three overs in the powerplay and then keep his last over for the end. But in his first over, Fakhar Zaman hit two boundaries and it looked like trouble was brewing. Bumrah missed his usual yorkers and bowled two no-balls to make things worse.
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Despite his best efforts, Bumrah couldn’t find his rhythm and ended with 0/45. He created only one chance for a wicket but it was dropped by Shubman Gill, summing up his tough night.
The Indian captain wasn’t too bothered about Bumrah’s performance. In the post-match presentation, he said it was okay, saying Bumrah isn’t a robot and will have off days. He credited Dube for getting them out of a tough situation.
With Bumrah struggling, Shivam Dube stepped up to take crucial wickets. Using his bowling variations, Dube got well-set batsmen Sahibzada Farhan (58) and Saim Ayub (21) and shifted the game’s momentum.
The all-rounder finished with 2/33, slowing down Pakistan’s scoring rate in the last overs. Thanks to a late surge from Faheem Ashraf, Pakistan managed to score 171/5, their highest ever against India in T20Is when batting first. In response, Abhishek Sharma (74) and Gill (47) set up India’s chase and continued their winning run in the tournament.
