Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
Jasprit Bumrah has aimed a thinly-veiled dig at Mohammad Kaif after the former India batter filed a post on social media on the way the fast bowler is being used at the ongoing Asia Cup. Bumrah has shot down the perception that his usage is related to his injury management.
“Bumrah under Rohit would generally bowl overs 1, 13, 17, 19,” wrote Kaif on his X (formerly Twitter) handle. “Under Surya, in Asia Cup, he bowled a three-overs (sic) spell at the start. To avoid injury, Bumrah these days prefers to bowl while his body is warmed up. 1 over of Bumrah in the remaining 14 overs is a huge relief for batters, against stronger teams at World Cup, this could hurt India.”
Bumrah fired back with a quote: “Inaccurate before inaccurate again”, incorporating a thumbs up emoji.
Bumrah bowled three straight overs with the new ball in both India’s Super-4 matches at the Asia Cup, against Pakistan and Bangladesh. And it prompted Kaif, who played 13 Tests and 125 ODIs, to make the observation.
Bumrah’s workload management has been a burning issue since the recent tour of England, where he played three out of five Tests. In fact, even before the start of the series it was decided that he wouldn’t be playing more than three Tests. There was a question mark over his availability for the Asia Cup, but the 31-year-old has turned up. He is in India’s Test squad for the home series against the West Indies as well.
The Asia Cup final is on September 28 and the first Test against the West Indies starts on October 2.
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