ASIA CUP, 2025
Jasprit Bumrah, who went for 45 runs in his four overs against Pakistan, is unlikely to be rested against Bangladesh © Getty
India’s assistant coach has said that Jasprit Bumrah is “unlikely” to be rested unless they go into a fixture assured of a spot in the Asia Cup final.
While that means Bumrah is all but certain for the Bangladesh match, he could be rested for India’s last Super Four match against Sri Lanka if things come together. For that, Pakistan must beat Sri Lanka on Tuesday and then India must beat Bangladesh on Wednesday.
“Look, there’s obviously a game tonight [Pakistan v Sri Lanka] and our game tomorrow night and we’ll have a better understanding of how the table sits. But it’s very unlikely that you go into the last game knowing you’ve qualified. So I’d say it’s unlikely that he’ll get a rest.
“So if we have the luxury to have that option in the last game, we can look at it. But I’d say we’re going to pick our best team for every game. He obviously fits into that picture.”
India play a Test match against West Indies in Ahmedabad from October 2, and ten Doeschate felt that overs in Bumrah’s legs could be good preparation for the red-ball match. India haven’t announced their squad for the two-match series yet.
“Also bearing in mind we have a Test match starting on Thursday,” ten Doeschate said. “So it’s actually quite good preparation in terms of workload management. He’s probably going to bowl a few players all the games and bowl in the region of 25-26 overs with the training and the preparation going into the game, which is a fairly good number the week before a test.”
Bumrah, who went for 45 runs in his four overs against Pakistan, skipped India’s optional practice ahead of the Bangladesh match along with Hardik Pandya. India’s leading fast bowler has done the heavy lifting at the start of every innings in this Asia Cup, bowling as many as three in the powerplay. This has left India with limited options at the death, where they are the second-most expensive side in this Asia Cup.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav, meanwhile, has admitted that the team is looking towards other bowlers to step up in the death overs as a T20 World Cup at home looms.
“He’s doing a very tough task. You don’t see many bowlers in this format bowling all three overs in the powerplay. So it’s quite strenuous as well. But we feel it’s the right amount of work going into the test match and obviously the importance of this competition as well,” ten Doeschate said.
‘Samson is the best man for the job at No.5’
India’s assistant coach also threw his weight behind Sanju Samson, who has struggled in his recent role as a non-opener. Samson, who opened in the absence of Shubman Gill, has been moved down the order but hasn’t looked at his best against the old ball.
In the two innings that he’s batted in this Asia Cup, the right-hander has scores of 56 (his slowest T20I fifty) and 13, and there’s been one memorable cover drive in it. Against spin, he’s found it difficult to get going on the sluggish pitches of the UAE.
Sanju Samson in T20Is for India:
Inngs Runs Avg SR 100s/50s Bnd % Opening 17 522 32.62 178.76 3/1 28.8% Other positions 23 408 20.40 121.79 0/2 12.8%
“Yeah, I think there’s two outings now, two decent chances and he’s still figuring out how to play that role. I think the wicket was a little bit tighter in the Pakistan game. But certainly with the way Shubman and Abhishek are going at the top and you’ve got your captain batting at three and the way Tilak played, we’re really looking for a No. 5.
“So we believe Sanju is the best man for that job and we’ve got no doubt that he’ll figure out how to play that role in the future.”
© Cricbuzz
