Bharat Arun backs Jasprit Bumrah to play all matches in Asia Cup

Former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun has backed Jasprit Bumrah to play all matches in the Asia Cup but said the final call should be taken by the pacer. Bumrah had played three out of the five Test matches against England and his workload was questioned by a lot of cricket experts.

The gun fast bowler will return to action in T20Is after one year long gap and he would look to hit the ground running. Bumrah is going to hold the key in the continental tournament and he would look to be at the top of his fitness.

“I would love to see Jasprit play. But I think it is his call. I think he should be able to play all the matches. But the real call must be taken by Jasprit. I don’t think he would need rest looking at the format of this tournament. So, if he is bowling, it is also a question of continuing the good rhythm that he gets throughout the tournament, which would augur very well for him,” Bharat Arun was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports.

On the other hand, Kuldeep Yadav recently played the Duleep Trophy quarterfinal for Central Zone against North East Zone. The wrist spinner bowled 32 overs and Arun believes it would have given him a lot of confidence after he could not get a game on England tour.

“These 35 (32) overs in the Duleep Trophy must have been great for him to get back his rhythm. But I wouldn’t read too much into performance (no wickets). As a coach, I would only like to look at Kuldeep’s rhythm. I think 35 (32) overs of match bowling is pretty good for him to get back his rhythm. And I am sure the conditions in Dubai would be conducive for Kuldeep. The grounds are big. The wickets also could be favourable. So, I see Kuldeep doing very well in the Asia Cup,” he explained. 

Meanwhile, the UAE pitches are expected to assist the spinners and Arun said India could be tempted to play three spinners.

“If the wickets are a little conducive, it will be a great idea to play all three spinners. Because each one has got a different variety. They have experience. And they bring a lot to the table…But obviously, the condition of the pitch would matter a lot. Then if it does, then it will be a very, very difficult choice to pick just two of them. Very tempting to play all three,” he said.