Sanjay Manjrekar suggests Jasprit Bumrah should focus more on Test cricket. He implies less important white-ball games can take a back seat if Jasprit Bumrah values the longest format.
On Thursday, January 4, in Cape Town, India defeated South Africa by 176 runs in their second innings thanks to Bumrah’s 6/61 score in 13.5 overs. After that, the visitors tied the two-match series at 79 runs by chasing down the fourth-inning goal with seven wickets remaining.
When Sanjay Manjrekar was asked how much Test cricket Jasprit Bumrah still had in him at a Star Sports talk, he replied as follows:
“It’s up to him really. If he cares a lot about Test cricket, he will make sure that he plays more of Test cricket and less of some of the random white-ball bilateral cricket that gets played.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
The former batsman for India felt that playing an extra Test for the Freedom Trophy would have been a better use of the time allotted for the previous three-match ODI series. He clarified:
“I have a lot of time for private leagues but that three-match ODI series (before the Tests), ask people who are cricket fans, what is the result of that series or who played well in the first ODI. Nobody will remember but just imagine if that time was used to have a third Test match.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Manjrekar continued by saying that if Jasprit Bumrah wants to have a lengthy Test career, he must emulate Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He declared:
“It’s not even the 50-over World Cup year. So, it’s up to Jasprit Bumrah. If he wants to play Test cricket, he will have to actually preserve his body. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma prioritized Test cricket and that’s why they have got so many Test matches under their belt.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
India is set to host a five-match Test series against England this month. Jasprit Bumrah, boasting experience in only four home Tests, might not participate in all these games. The dominance of spinners on Indian terrains could be a key reason.
Piyush Chawla lauds Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling display in South Africa series
People inquired if Piyush Chawla witnessed Jasprit Bumrah’s top performance during the South African Test series. He responded:
“The way he bowled this (Day 2) morning, it was really good to watch. The best part was when the main batter was batting, he was hitting those difficult lengths and when the tailenders came in, he started bowling up, because it’s difficult for the tailenders to drive those balls which are moving around a bit.”
Piyush Chawla
Jasprit Bumrah knocked out five Proteas players on Day 2 at Cape Town. The first to go was David Bedingham, bowled out early. Later, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, and Lungi Ngidi also found themselves dismissed by his attack.
