Despite staying out of cricket for a prolonged period of almost 11 months, star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah announced his comeback in spectacular fashion, featuring in the recently concluded T20I series in Ireland. This came as a sigh of relief for Indian fans who were worried about Bumrah’s form ahead of the two most important events of the year- the Asia Cup and the ICC ODI World Cup. Not only the home supporters but South African great AB de Villiers also seem quite excited about Bumrah’s long-awaited return to international cricket. The legendary batter thinks Bumrah’s performance will be key to India’s chance in the marquee tournaments.
The premier pacer was given the responsibility to lead a young unit in the three-match T20I series against Ireland. He was equally impressive both as a captain and as a player. While India bagged the away series 2-0, Bumrah was named the Player of the Series for his bowling contributions. Speaking about the performance on his YouTube channel, De Villiers expressed his feelings after watching Bumrah in his iconic groove. The 39-year-old further revealed that the Indian coaches are also quite stunned by Bumrah’s roaring comeback.
“Coming back from injury, Jasprit Bumrah even won the Man of the Series in Ireland. It shows what kind of talent he is. I have also heard the coaches say that it seems like he has never been away. But I’m not surprised at all with Bumrah’s performance. It’s really exciting to see him in form,” De Villiers was quoted as explaining on YouTube.
During the session, De Villers further spoke about Yuzvendra Chahal’s exclusion from India’s Asia Cup-bound team. The Proteas legend admitted he was left quite disappointed after not finding Chahal’s name in the 17-member squad. The leggie last time donned the Blue for India in a T20I series in West Indies earlier this month. He managed to fetch only five scalps, playing all five matches of the series. The below-par performance might be a reason for Chahal being axed from the Asia Cup squad.
However, De Villiers believes Chahal could be a good pick as a leg-spinning option in the Asian conditions. “It is a bit of a disappointing drop for me as well. I think Yuzi is always handy with that leg-spinning option. We know how skilful and smart he can be. But the decision has been made and it is what it is,” the legendary batter said.
Team India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, will kick off their campaign in the 2023 Asia Cup with a high-voltage clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2.
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