Bumrah is going to be tested at the death, when the Australian middle order is firing, says Mukund

New Delhi: Former India opener Abhinav Mukund feels pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is going to be tested at the death overs when the Australian middle-order will be in blazing mode during the upcoming ODI series between two teams starting in Mohali from Friday.

Bumrah made a return to international cricket in August 2023 after an 11-month layoff due to a back injury requiring surgery, by captaining India in 2-0 T20I series win over Ireland, where he also picked Player of the Series award. Bumrah made his ODI comeback in the victorious Asia Cup campaign, picking four wickets in as many matches with an average of 17.75 and economy rate of 4.17.

“For me, more than his return, I feel Rohit Sharma is so excited about the prospect of having Bumrah, after having won all those IPL titles with him - it just feels like there is a sense of confidence in a situation where he wants a wicket - he goes to Jasprit Bumrah.”

“Just having that insurance for Rohit Sharma, shows how important it is for the team management that he is back. During this series, he’s going to be tested at the death and brought in when the Australian middle order is firing. So, he’s going to have to bring his entire repertoire skills,” said Mukund to JioCinema.

He also admitted to being hesitant over how Bumrah would fare in his comeback after a long period on sidelines. “It doesn’t feel like it bothers him at all. I was a bit hesitant about how he was going to play but he just came back from where he left off. In spite of such a career-threatening injury, he hasn’t played a lot of cricket, been in and out of the side and he comes back and turns up spectacularly.”

Former India cricketer Suresh Raina, who was briefly team-mates with Bumrah, spoke about the changes the right-arm pacer has made in his bowling, which he feels have been of great help.

“He has just bowled about 5 or 6 overs till now. Rohit Sharma is with him and monitoring how effective he can be with the new ball. If we want to dismiss Australia's top order, we have Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah for that. The line and speed with which he's bowling, it's swinging fully round the wicket.”

“Even in his run-up, you can see, he has increased it a little bit, but the swing in his finishing line is praiseworthy. He's worked very hard especially with his injuries to his back and knee, after his run-up, the extra four or five yards he's getting for recovery, his speed and swing have come back.”

Raina also feels that Australia’s batters may play out Bumrah’s overs, though he expects the pacer to outsmart them. “The quickness he's gotten with the length of his deliveries is very important. Australia's batting lineup is strong, but they'll prioritize eating up Bumrah's overs because he maintains his pace of 140-145. We can see that he has worked really hard and is enjoying it. It looks like he's about to become 'Boom Boom Bumrah' once again."