Gautam Gambhir emphasized the need for India to secure an additional death bowler to complement Jasprit Bumrah during the T20 World Cup 2024.
In the second T20I against South Africa, India suffered a five-wicket defeat as the Proteas chased a revised target of 152 runs in 15 overs, dominating the powerplay and nearly securing victory within that phase with 67 runs. Bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh faced early challenges, leaking runs in the initial overs amid wet conditions that made gripping the ball difficult.
Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian opener, refrained from harsh criticism, expressing the belief that under less wet conditions, the Indian bowling lineup would perform better. He highlighted Mukesh’s impressive 13th over featuring precise yorkers despite the ball’s wetness, indicating positive aspects for India’s bowling contingent if confronted with drier conditions in future encounters.
“I feel that Mohammed Siraj will bowl much worse than this and yet finish with better figures. I was a bit disappointed with Arshdeep because after he bowled the first over, the Powerplay was over and the ball got wet and tough to get a grip of. The 13th over which Mukesh bowled was spectacular, with pin-point yorkers with a wet ball and against a batter like David Miller. These are some big positives, and going forward, if the conditions aren’t so wet, this bowling line-up will appear a lot different,” Gambhir said to Hindustan Times.
The former cricketer further emphasized the importance of assessing India’s death-bowling options for the T20 World Cup 2024 rather than focusing solely on results from bilateral series.
“A bilateral series 6-7 months before the World Cup doesn’t carry much relevance. India would want to test their bowlers. You’d want to see how strong your death-overs bowling is. Who can be the one more option with Jasprit Bumrah when the T20 World Cup comes? These things need to be more carefully monitored than results,” Gambhir concluded.
Last Updated on December 14, 2023
Senior Sports Copywriter
