Malinga keen to make most of Bumrah's rustiness

India's Jasprit Bumrah is making a comeback to cricket after a four-month period in the T20 series against Sri Lanka starting in Barsapara.

Malinga said he will pass on information on Bumrah's bowling skills to his national teammates.

Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga has said that his team would try to take advantage of Jasprit Bumrah’s rustiness in the three-match T20 series against India, starting at the ACA Stadium, Barsapara, here on Sunday.

On the eve of the first match of the series, Malinga said the Lankan batsmen would try to unsettle Bumrah.

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“He's the number one bowler in world. He has got skills and accuracy. But he is coming after an injury and didn’t play much cricket in the past few months. Most of the bowlers struggle to get their rhythm for the first few matches (after making a comeback). We want to get that advantage to us,” said Malinga.

Having played with Bumrah for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Malinga said he had a fair idea about the Indian pace ace.

“I'm really happy for Bumrah, he is doing well for his country. He's my teammate. He's their wicket-taking bowler. I can pass on the information about his attitude and bowling skills. But our batsmen will have to be smart enough to handle him," said the 36-year-old.

About his team’s rebuilding phase, Malinga said Sri Lanka had some talented youngsters who were short on experience. Malinga said his team was not apprehensive about the match owing to the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) stir here last month. “We were not scared about that. We have come here to play cricket. I don’t think it's a worry. People love cricket here,” he said.