Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah has found himself in the middle of an unwanted controversy despite the Men in Blue managing to draw the series against England. Bumrah played three Tests and picked up 14 wickets. He was rested in two of them as part of his workload management.
Interestingly, India lost all the matches that he played and won the two in which he was rested. This surprising stat has forced fans and cricket experts to comment on Bumrah’s record as a Test bowler.
There have been all kinds of conclusions drawn regarding this rare stat. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah is still topping the ICC Test rankings despite him not playing all the Tests against England.
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Its Unfair - Dinesh Karthik On Jasprit Bumrah Being Blamed For India's Losses
After India’s win at The Oval, which helped them to level the series, former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has brushed aside this criticism regarding Bumrah, saying that India losing at Headingly and Lords was not his fault.
“Now this stat of when he doesn’t play, India does not win. It’s not his mistake. He is so impactful that others pale in comparison at times which is understandable. He is a world champion. When he finishes cricket, he will be spoken in the same parlance as a Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Dale Steyn. And I hope he will have a longer career knowing that I can pick and choose matches when I feel I am ready because there is no more pressure that I am the only one and at every match, I have to play. And at times, it’s unfair. It’s a body, he knows what he has gone through. 2 back injuries, one nasty ACL he had in 2014. It’s not easy and sometimes I feel we have to cut him some slack as well,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
His comments came on the back of former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan asking him to push harder in the fourth Test in Manchester. That was the only Test match where he conceded over 100 runs in an innings, finishing with 2/112 in 35 overs.
To be fair, whenever he played, he did perform. He took a five-wicket haul and got his name on the Lord's honours board. But when you are the number one bowler, there is an expectation of number one-level performance, and I felt he did not quite live up to that," Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Bumrah played three Test matches and picked up fifers in two of them, proving his skills as a bowler. It was unfortunate that he conceded over 100 runs, with England posting 669 runs with the bat in the Manchester Test. He bowled nearly 120 overs in the Test match, taking 14 wickets at an economy of just 3.04.
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Bumrah Will Be Proud Of This Young Attack - Karthik
Karthik concluded by saying that the win at The Oval has taken some pressure of Bumrah’s shoulders, helping India find bowlers who can step up in his absence.
“You have to look at it from Jasprit Bumrah’s point of view. I think that these kinds of wins, the way the series has panned out, the way the young team has fought will actually help him in his career. I believe Jasprit Bumrah will be very proud of this young bowling attack and knowing him, he is not someone who shies away from pressure, big matches. Boss, he is in the ground, as a captain, any big moment, you go to Jasprit Bumrah, you want a wicket, go to Jasprit Bumrah, you want a 5-an over in a T20 match, you go to Jasprit Bumrah. If you are bowling with a bad, old ball which is 25 overs old in an ODI and want a wicket, go to Jasprit Bumrah. That is the name he has earned and he rightly deserves to be called that,” Karthik concldued saying.
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