Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya have opened the bowling for India in majority of games in Asia Cup.
India is opting to go spin-heavy with three spinners, Bumrah and Hardik Pandya taking the new ball. This meant that in the Asia Cup, the star pacer has bowled three overs in the power play and one more at the death.
Kaif emphasized that having Bumrah bowl three consecutive overs in the powerplay during the Asia Cup may not be the ideal approach and warned that India might struggle to win next year’s T20 World Cup if they persist with the same approach.
“My concern is Jasprit Bumrah bowling three overs with the new ball. I had mentioned that, and my problem is that as an Indian fan, I have been a cricketer, but as a fan, in the context of the T20 World Cup. Bumrah has just one over remaining for the last 14 overs. So, I wasn’t happy about that. He keeps getting injured and does not play all the matches continuously. He didn’t play the previous match as well,” Bumrah said on his YouTube channel.
“He (Bumrah) is getting a chance to play while taking breaks, so he remains fully fit. It was in my mind that if Suryakumar Yadav continues using him this way, we will not win the T20 World Cup; take it in writing," Kaif added.
Kaif had shared the same concern before on X as well, receiving a sharp retort from Jasprit Bumrah.
“I can understand that. I, too, have been a cricketer and have been in such situations. The guy is injured and isn’t able to play continuously. Like in England, he played three out of the five matches. When someone pulls the reins and does not give a free hand, it is a very difficult time for a player. When I was trying to make a comeback after being dropped, even I got angry at some people out of frustration," Kaif added.