Bumrah delivered three of his four overs in the powerplay during Asia Cup.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has provided a sneak peek into the thought process behind deploying Jasprit Bumrah as the team’s primary powerplay weapon during the Asia Cup 2025 in UAE.
Gambhir revealed that the strategy was part of a broader vision to make India a fully aggressive side — not just with the bat, but in every fact of the game.
In an interview with the BCCI, Gambhir explained why Bumrah delivered three of his four overs in the first six, a move that caught many by surprise.
“A lot of people associate this T20 team with aggressive batting. But I think using Jassi for three overs upfront was an even more aggressive option with the ball," Gambhir said.
“We don’t want to be known only for our aggressive batting order. We want to be recognized as an aggressive side overall… We wanted to test that approach and see where it takes us."
While Bumrah’s stats in the continental event — 7 wickets from 5 matches at an economy rate of 7.43 — might not show his usual dominance, Gambhir praised the pace spearhead for setting the tone.
“Bowling Jassi’s first three overs up front often helped us win the powerplay," Gambhir stated. “That gave bowlers like Varun and Kuldeep the freedom to attack in the middle overs. It’s about creating pressure early so others can capitalise later."
The coach stressed that India’s approach under him is rooted in flexibility and presence of mind.
“We want to play in the moment, respond to what’s happening right now, not think too far ahead to the 17th or 18th over. That’s how we’ll evolve as a team."
Recently, India clinched the five-match T20I series against Australia 2-1 after the final match in Brisbane was washed out. With this win, the Men in Blue maintained their unbeaten record in a bilateral T20I series under the regime of Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav. The team also won the Asia Cup title in September this year.