The emergence of young Jasprit Bumrah as a potent “death overs” bowler has come as a huge “relief” for Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who complimented the Gujarat lad for being equally effective with the new ball.
“Jasprit is someone I feel who bowls well with the new ball also. Yes, he has given us some relief when it comes to death bowling. But people should realise that he will also go for runs on some days. So far he's been very good for us with the new ball as well as the death,” Dhoni praised the youngster, who came into the national reckoning after a successful stint with the Mumbai Indians in IPL.
“Death bowling is something where you cannot only give away 12 runs in last two overs, at times, you will give away 20-22 runs also. But looking at that kind of a game, you may feel that giving away 20 was also very good death bowling.”
Balanced team
Dhoni, who had earlier termed Hardik Pandya as a 'Game Changer', said that his all-round presence has lent the side necessary balance going into World T20. “This format is especially better-suited to somebody
(Hardik), who can bat and bowl. All-rounders have two departments to contribute and can make up for failure in one with performance in the other. Also performance in one department helps them carry the confidence into the other,” the skipper said.
“That's the reason why our team is looking more balanced. Looking at the conditions, you have three fast bowlers and two spinners. Then you include two part-timers (Raina, Yuvraj) if needed. So it looks like a very good bunch of players, ideally suited for the conditions.”
Yuvraj Singh’s 18-ball-35 is something that has pleased the skipper and no wonder he stands vindicated.
“As far as Yuvi’s batting is concerned, I have already told that the more time he gets out there in the middle, the better it is for him. I felt that his approach has always been very good. He gave himself two or three balls before playing the big shot. He is someone who can hit sixes at will. So if the same thing continues gradually, he will be in a very good position before the World Cup.”
Virat Kohli blasted another half-century to guide India to a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka and Dhoni said it is his hunger to succeed that makes him special. “Right from the start, he (Virat) was always someone who
wanted to contribute more. Even if he would get out on 80, he was somebody who wanted to get that 100. If 80 was good enough and the team wins, he was happy with it. But he still wanted to contribute more. He knew the importance of converting those 70s into hundreds. It’s not only good for the individual but
it was also very good for the team,” he said.
“Over the years, he has turned into someone who reads the game very well. Knowing whom to target and when to target are his strengths. That is something very important,” Dhoni said.
Seamer-friendly pitch
Dhoni admitted that the pitch against Sri Lanka was less seamer-friendly than the earlier two but at the same time there was some purchase for the faster bowlers.
“I think in the first two games, the wickets were more seamer-friendly. Even today, it might not look very alarming but there was enough movement to trouble the batsmen. It was not as if you can come and play your big shots and easily get away with a lot of runs. If you were hitting the right areas, it was difficult. It was demonstrated by fast bowlers from both the teams.”
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