Gautam Gambhir Explains Jasprit Bumrah's Powerplay Impact, Game Plan In T20Is: 'It Was Very Aggressive Move...'

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has shed light on the strategic reasoning behind pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's prominent role in the powerplay, where he deployed three overs during the recent Asia Cup that India triumphed.

On the UAE's slow-paced surface, where the Asia Cup 2025 took place, the 31-year-old, with his relentless apt bowling, finished the tournament with seven wickets in five matches at an average of 19.28.

After the T20I assignment, India went on a tour of Australia for a white-ball series and as part of workload management, Bumrah missed the ODIs. In the five-match T20I series against Australia, the team's premier speedster finished with three wickets at 26.33.

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Gambhir said that the bold move was aimed at showcasing India's aggressive intent, not just with the bat but also with the ball, as the team utilised Bumrah's prowess in the initial overs.

"A lot of people relate to this T20 side as a very aggressive batting lineup. For me I think bowling Jassi 3 in the first six was an even more aggressive option with the ball. We don't want to be a side which is only known as an aggressive batting order, we want to be a side which should be known as an aggressive side overall," Gambhir said in an interview with the BCCI.

"We wanted to go that way as well (Bumrah bowling three in PP), we wanted to see how it pans out, we wanted to see where it takes us in future as well, and I thought that Asia Cup, it has really worked well for us, because bowling Jassi in the first three obviously makes us win the powerplay most of the time," he added.

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Gambhir said the team sought to seize an early advantage, building on the pressure and making way for spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav to weave their magic on the pitch in the middle overs.

"...and then obviously we got two wicket-taking options in the middle with Varun (Chakravarthy) and Kuldeep (Yadav), so it gives them a lot of leverage to bowl with freedom in the middle phase, and we can take wickets all the time...I think it was a very aggressive move," said Gambhir.