New Delhi, March 3 – Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar has advised the team to use Jasprit Bumrah for two overs in the powerplay of the Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final against England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Gavaskar believes that Bumrah's early breakthroughs could disrupt England's rhythm.
Bumrah has the second-best economy rate (6.3) among bowlers who bowled more than seven overs in the Super Eights. He has only conceded three sixes in the entire tournament. Unlike other bowlers, India have used Bumrah flexibly, especially during crucial moments.
Against South Africa, Bumrah bowled two overs in the powerplay and two at the back end. In the crucial five-wicket victory over the West Indies in Kolkata, Bumrah bowled only one over in the powerplay and had three of his overs reserved for the second half of the West Indies innings.
Gavaskar believes that using Bumrah in different ways will create a tactical battle between him and England's batting lineup, led by captain Harry Brook.
“Yes, that would be a fascinating contest to watch. I believe Bumrah should bowl at least two overs in the powerplay because as a new-ball bowler, if he can get those two wickets, or even get Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, or Harry Brook, he would have significantly weakened England’s batting,” Gavaskar said.
He further explained that the key to Bumrah's effectiveness is his ability to constantly evolve and conceal his variations.
“Well, I'm happy I'm not facing him. But what you see with Jasprit Bumrah is the subtle additions he makes to his bowling repertoire. When he started, he primarily bowled swingers to right-handers and natural away-going balls to left-handers.
“But even in the first season, when India went to England in 2018, he showed that he could also get the ball to move into the left-handers and take it away from the right-handers. So, he is someone who constantly works on adding something to his bowling. He uses slower bouncers and yorkers, and he keeps adding variations.
He also noted that Bumrah gives very little away in terms of what delivery he can bowl to batters. “Because he has very little variation in his run-up or even in his delivery action, no batter can be prepared. Most of the time, when you're at the non-striker's end and you observe the bowlers very carefully from the time they're walking back after bowling a ball to walking to the top of their run-up, then you will always find some little sign because they're also thinking of which ball to bowl.
“There is some little sign that gives them away. Maybe a little shrug of the shoulder, maybe a little flick of the shirt or something where you sort of and then the ball comes in. You see that over a period of time and you realize, ‘Oh, that is the thing when he's looking to do that,’” he added.
Gavaskar also drew a parallel of batters trying to pick Bumrah with tennis legend Andre Agassi's famous reading of Boris Becker's serve. “If you have read Andre Agassi's book, how did he pick up where Boris Becker was going to serve? Because he wasn't able to pick his serve the first few times that he played him.
“Then he realized that if he had his tongue on the left as he tossed the ball up, then he would be serving wide. If he had his tongue on the right, then he would be serving on the center line. So, you try and observe that.
“But in Bumrah’s case, he doesn't give you anything away and therefore, it's very, very difficult to read because he sort of goes wide and then delivers the ball. You often tend to think it's going to basically come in, but he can get the ball to move away. So that's why he's been such a devastating bowler in all three forms.”
Gavaskar believes that Jos Buttler's form will also play a crucial role in determining Bumrah's effectiveness. “Buttler has been in poor form, with only 62 runs in seven innings at an average of 8.85. However, Indian fans will remember Buttler's performances for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
“Getting Buttler's wicket would be a big advantage for India. We have seen in the IPL and ICC events that Buttler can be a destructive batter.
“He's going through a lean patch, just like how Samson went through before this, or even Suryakumar Yadav was going through for some time now. So, we just, let's keep our fingers crossed as Indian supporters that he doesn't find form on Thursday,” added Gavaskar.
He further stated that the threat of England’s all-rounder Will Jacks would hinge on how much turn the pitch offers and that India's right-handers may need to shoulder a greater share countering him. Jacks has been England’s standout performer of the tournament and knows Wankhede Stadium conditions well due to his stint with Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025.
Jacks claimed player-of-the-match honours in England’s wins over Nepal, Italy, Sri Lanka and New Zealand for his all-round contributions. He has scored 191 runs at a strike rate of 176.85 and taken seven wickets with his off-spin at an economy rate of 9.68.
“If there's a little bit of turn in the Wankhede pitch, he could be a handful. So how maybe a Samson or Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya handle him is going to be a key feature. Maybe he might not get to bowl too many deliveries to the left-handers in the team, whether it is Abhishek or Tilak or Ishan Kishan or maybe down the order, Shivam Dube.
“Maybe the right-handers might have to do more of the batting against him. But yes, he's on a roll. Sometimes you have a tournament where everything is going right for you. Even with the bat, he's scoring handy runs for his team down the order.
“To have somebody like him batting at number seven is a real plus for England. Just like we saw having Shivam Dube at number seven was such a big plus. He came in and in one over, he hit two boundaries and took the pressure off,” he added.
