Saba Karim, former BCCI General Manager – Cricket Operations, believes that India’s chances of winning against New Zealand in the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) will be much brighter if Jasprit Bumrah is in peak form with the ball and brings out his A-game in England.
India and New Zealand are set to battle out for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) trophy from June 18 in Southampton and former cricketer said Bumrah – who has five-wicket hauls in England, South Africa, Australia, and West Indies in Tests – will be one of the trump cards for the Indian cricket team.
His comments followed by Curtly Ambrose’s rich praise on Bumrah. The West Indies great said the Indian speedster breach the 400-wicket mark in Test cricket and will be pivotal to Team India's chances at the WTC Final against New Zealand next month.
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The 27-years-old has become a massive asset of the Indian team across all three formats of the game over the past few years. He is also the leading bowler in Test cricket for India having scalped 83 wickets from 19 games at a superb average of 22.10 since making his debut three years back.
Karim told India News on Wednesday: “Yes, Curtly Ambrose has said the right thing because the match is happening outside India, in Southampton in England. At this moment, the form Jasprit Bumrah has shown in the last 3-4 IPL matches, I have full belief that if Jasprit Bumrah shows good form in the World Test Championship match, our chances will increase significantly.”
He added, “He is the premier pace bowler of the Indian team at the moment and he is a player who represents India in multiple formats. So, he always has the pressure to perform and to remain fit.”
The former India wicket-keeper also said Bumrah is a tough bowler to pick because of his unique action, saying his dominance is only going to rise in international cricket.
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He further noted, “Bumrah has always performed in Test matches. He is a unique type of bowler; it is very difficult to pick him. Along with that, he has the pace, he bowls good short deliveries and because of that slowly and steadily his dominance in international cricket is going on increasing.”
However, Karim believes that Bumrah will need the support of his fellow pacers Ishant Sharma and Mohammad Shami to rise to the occasion, saying they all will be very important for India on the upcoming tour of England, comprising WTC Final and five-match Test series against the hosts.
He signed off by saying, “Along with the role of Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami, the role of all three of them will be very important in the Test match for India.”
