Shreyas Iyer, Gautam Gambhir Advised To Include Jasprit Bumrah In India's Playing XI For Afghanistan Series

Jasprit Bumrah’s return to international cricket in the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan could be the ideal way for the India fast bowler to get back to full match fitness after recovering from a left knee injury, feels former India pacer Vivek Razdan.

Bumrah has taken 121 wickets in 95 T20Is and has been part of India’s two T20 World Cup-winning campaigns. He was also named Player of the Tournament during India’s 2024 title-winning campaign and won the Player of the Match award in the final against New Zealand earlier this year.

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The pacer missed the third ODI against England and the Tests against Sri Lanka due to his injury. His return is a major boost for India, especially with the team struggling for consistency in T20Is since June.

Razdan believes returning through the shortest format could help Bumrah regain his rhythm without putting too much workload on his body.

“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.

Razdan On Shreyas Iyer’s Captaincy

Razdan also spoke about Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy and India’s recent results under him. Iyer has won only three of his 10 T20Is as captain since taking charge in June.

According to Razdan, captaining India naturally comes with huge expectations, especially when the previous captain had just led the team to a T20 World Cup triumph.

“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 that 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.