cricket

Updated: Feb 13, 2020 10:11 IST

Jasprit Bumrah went wicketless in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand and as a result of which, lost his number 1 ODI bowler ranking. His lack of penetration was one of the biggest reasons behind India being whitewashed and with the Test series looming large, the management would hope, he gets back to his wicket-taking form. Having said this, former India pacer Ashish Nehra believes India should reduce their dependency on Bumrah if they have to be successful.

“You can’t expect Bumrah to deliver in every series. One has to remember he is returning from injury. It’s difficult for anybody to keep performing at the top of his game all the time. Even Virat Kohli has had a quiet series,” former India pacer Ashish Nehra told TOI.

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Nehra went on to add that the other pacers in the squad need to be aware of their roles as there is too much pressure on Bumrah.

“The Indian team management could be much better while picking the playing XI. The other pacers, besides Bumrah and (Mohammad) Shami, need to know their roles. They have got used to having Bumrah and Shami firing for the last two years. There’s too much pressure on Bumrah. There has been very little consistency in the team selection so far,” Nehra further added.

The Indian fast bowlers have been match-winners for Kohli in Tests in the recent past but with the drubbing they received in the ODIs, it will be interesting to see the combination which is picked for the Test matches. “In the current scenario, Saini is better prepared for Test cricket than Umesh Yadav, since he has the momentum with the team. But he largely depends on the back-ofa-length deliveries. If he can get his length a bit fuller at his pace, he would open up more chances of getting wickets behind the stumps,” Nehra said.