The T20 World Cup has been spreading excitement since the day 1. Teams are locking horns at the big stage to the T20 World Cup. On June 5, Team India is scheduled to play their inaugural match of the league. Before that, Team India’s playing xi for this match is creating hype. One of the questions arises over who will be Bumrah’s partner. Robin Utthappa believes that Hardik Pandya, rather than Mohammed Siraj, is the ideal choice to partner with Jasprit Bumrah as the new-ball bowler in the team.
Utthappa Supporting Arshdeep Over Siraj:
As India’s T20 World Cup opener against Ireland approaches in just over 24 hours, the team faces a potential concern regarding the right bowling combination. While boasting exceptional bowlers, the focus now shifts to selecting the ideal partner for Jasprit Bumrah. Robin Utthappa has expressed her preference for Bumrah’s bowling companion, raising questions about whether Mohammed Siraj or another bowler will fill that role effectively, adding to the anticipation and speculation ahead of the crucial match.
Robin Uthappa’s choice of Arshdeep over Siraj leaves the latter out of the Playing XI against Ireland in New York. Uthappa’s decision stems from concerns about Siraj’s performance in death overs bowling, particularly during the initial stages of the IPL, where Siraj’s form was below expectations. While talking about this, he said, “For Bumrah, I would definitely go with Arshdeep. Bumrah, Arshdeep… I am quite confused. Seamers would be Hardik, and Shivam Dube. And I still feel like that’s a solid one because it gives you strength in the death bowling.”
Later he added, “Because if you go with Siraj, somewhere I am not confident of Siraj as a death-bowling option just yet. Up front, he is devastating. He is really good with the new ball. RCB misused him with the new ball and giving him the third, fourth or fifth over. They should have handed him the ball in first over and said ‘go get us wickets.”
Backing Hardik Pandya:
Uthappa supported Hardik Pandya to partner with Bumrah in opening the bowling. He commended Siraj for his ability to be destructive with the new ball. Uthappa highlighted Siraj’s talent in creating chaos and making an impact when conditions favor the bowlers. He said, “Siraj has the ability to swing the ball away naturally and just land the ball on the seam. The ball comes back and straightens. That, I am sure even he doesn’t know how he does it. So how would the batters know? Because he is releasing an outswinger. Comes back in and straightens. That is unplayable.”
Later he added, “With the new ball, he is almost as dangerous as Bhuvi is. At the death, I would say he is not there yet. I have seen him leak a lot of runs in the middle overs and death overs. He goes to that slower ball quite a bit and it’s very easy to pick it up early. So for me, I feel Arshdeep is a better option, especially in the death. I would have Hardik open the bowling because he has the speed now and he can swing it.”
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