As New Zealand did to taste success against India in the recent ODI series, a conservative approach could be the way forward for other teams as well while facing Men in Blue's most fearsome pace bowling asset Jasprit Bumrah, believes former Kiwi speedster Shane Bond. 

Even though Bumrah bowled with the same level of intensity and pace as he did prior to going down with a lower-back stress fracture in September last year, it is his execution that for once left a bit to be desired, especially when bowling at the death. 

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"That's the nature of expectations when you got a bowler of Jasprit's quality," PTI quoted Bond as saying; he works as bowling coach with Bumrah annually when the pacer turns up for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. "I thought New Zealand played him well and identified him as a risk. They have played him conservatively and obviously there was some inexperience around (Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur)." 

"All teams will now identify him as a risk and attack others. So that's where the bowling group and what they do (as a group) is massive. It is not an easy place to bowl as wickets are flat," he added. 

"At the end of the day, all you can do is try and bowl well. He bowled reasonably well but sometimes you don't get wickets."

However, Bond expects Bumrah to return to wicket-taking ways during the two-match Test series, beginning February 21, and also come up with more aggressive plans to counter the conservative template that teams would be looking to employ against him in white-ball cricket in future. 

"At the end of the day, all you can do is try and bowl well. He bowled reasonably well but sometimes you don't get wickets," he said. "Although New Zealand played him well in limited overs, Jasprit will have a massive impact on the Test series. I have no doubt about that."

"It always takes time to get back to top form because there is no substitute of game time. So it's good for Jasprit that he is leading into Test matches with some short form cricket." 

Bond reckons Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson will be tempted to play a five-pronged pace attack given the conditions at Basin Reserve and Hagley Oval. "The biggest thing about New Zealand wicket is that it doesn't spin," he said. "Whoever wins the toss bowls because most movement in the pitch is in the first day. If New Zealand wins toss, they will bowl."

"I won't be surprised if New Zealand don't play a spinner. Personally, I wouldn't have played a spinner as they will just have a holding role."

"New Zealand could go in with five fast bowlers in Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Kyle Jamieson and De Grandhomme," Bond added. "The wickets later on become so flat that New Zealand are really hard to beat here. I don't think it's going to be any different."

(Inputs from PTI)