“A bowler like Jasprit Bumrah doesn’t require assistance from the pitch”: Harbhajan Singh

In cricket, having a player like Jasprit Bumrah is like having a super-strong weapon. Harbhajan Singh recently said that when you have a player as good as Bumrah, you don’t really need a special pitch to win.

During the Visakhapatnam Test against England, Bumrah showed his talent as India’s top bowler. He kept getting wickets whenever the team needed a boost. His ability to handle different types of pitches makes him special, and people are comparing him to a powerful weapon called the Brahmastra. Harbhajan Singh agrees, saying that having the best bowler in the world means you don’t have to depend on the pitch.

In the Visakhapatnam match on a spin-friendly pitch, Bumrah took an amazing nine wickets, and he was named the Player of the Match. This achievement made him the top bowler in the world, beating other big names like Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada.

Harbhajan Singh, sharing his insights with Gulf News, expressed concerns about India’s approach to pitch preparation. He urged the team management to ponder whether favouring their strengths with specific pitch conditions is the right strategy

“In the future, the Team India management should consider whether this is the right way to move forward. India has an excellent team with exceptional players. A bowler like Bumrah doesn’t require pitch assistance, he’s that good,” Harbhajan Singh said.

The seasoned spinner stressed the importance of winning matches even after losing the toss, a challenge that becomes more daunting on pitches heavily tilted in favour of specific skills. Harbhajan suggested that the team needs to create conditions where losing the toss doesn’t make the outcome a foregone conclusion.

“In that situation, winning the toss becomes crucial, and if you lose it, the outcome becomes almost certain. A team should be able to win the match even when losing the toss, and that’s challenging on such pitches, “Harbhajan added.

While India navigates through challenges, including the absence of key players like Virat Kohli and injury concerns for others, the spotlight is on the middle order’s stability. Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion has paved the way for newcomers like Sarfaraz Khan or Devdutt Padikkal to make their Test debut.

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