"Better In Long Run": Ex-India Star Explains Why Jasprit Bumrah Coming Back In Afghanistan Series Is The Right Move

Returning to international cricket via the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan offers ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah a nice path to rebuilding his match fitness after recovering from left knee injury, believes former India pacer Vivek Razdan. Bumrah has picked 121 scalps in 95 T20Is and won the T20 World Cup twice, including being Player of the Tournament in the 2024 triumph and winning the Player of the Match award in the final against New Zealand earlier this year. Bumrah's return after missing the third ODI against England and Tests against Sri Lanka gives India a significant boost, considering their fortunes in T20Is haven't been the best since June.

"Bumrah's return is very big news and will always be because you try to understand the player you are talking about. He is a match-winner and an impact player who has the capability to win a match on his own. So, it is very big news.

“When you come back to full fitness, it is better to choose the smallest format because you get time for achieving that. You have 4 overs and can bowl in 2 spells. So, it is easier for you to catch the rhythm again. If you come back from an injury and choose to return to play via the longest format, there are more chances of getting injured again.

“So, this shortest format series in which he is coming back from an injury, after being fully fit and healthy, I think it will be better for him in the long run. As I said, Jasprit Bumrah commands a very huge importance in this team," Razdan told IANS in a virtual interaction organised by Sony Sports Network on Saturday.

Turning to Shreyas Iyer's fortunes as T20I captain, with a record of just three wins in 10 games since taking charge in June, Razdan cautioned that leading India comes with immense national expectations, particularly given the benchmark set by previous leaders.

"Regarding Shreyas Iyer's captaincy, I want to say that it can't be the case of not having pressure when you think about captaining India. These two things are totally different. If you want to captain the Indian team, you do carry expectations of more than 140 crore people in the country. That pressure will always be there on you, and you can't run away from it.

“One more thing to note is, he became captain after his predecessor Suryakumar Yadav won the T20 World Cup. So that comparison will always be there and no escaping it. Shreyas has already shown his capabilities of leading a team via the IPL. I feel, and hope, that some tactical changes will come from him as he progresses and becomes much better at it.

“When the team performs well, and every player performs according to his reputation and capabilities, the captain's job becomes easier. The captain's problems increase when the team doesn't perform well, and the players are out of touch.

“The Afghanistan series will be tough and the Asian Games will pose a stern challenge too. I do hope that once the team starts winning consistently under him, you forget the past results on their own," added Razdan.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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