India’s current strategy doesn’t allow Jasprit Bumrah to be used optimally.
Batting depth has been a constant focus under Gautam Gambhir’s regime. Be it Tests or T20Is, India always go with an extra batter and compromise on the bowling department. In the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, they have adopted a similar tactic, with Jasprit Bumrah as their only specialist pacer.
Obviously, Hardik Pandya gives them the cushion to try this bold move with his supreme all-round skills, and pitches have generally aided spinners and made speedsters’ roles relatively easy. But this approach has certain flaws and heavily restricts bowling resources. It’s not that India have gone with this combination in this tournament only; they played only one specialist seamer even against England in the five-match T20I series earlier this year.
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In the first two matches, India have used Jasprit Bumrah for as many as three overs each in the powerplay. He wasn’t required to complete his quota in the first game against the UAE and later bowled the penultimate over against Pakistan to cap off his spell. The team has frontloaded him because they don’t have any other option to employ with the new ball, given Hardik bowls from the other end.
It worked in these two games, but this is improper usage of a premium fast bowler. The best way to maximise his potential is by giving him a maximum of two overs during the field restrictions and keeping the other two for middle and death overs whenever the team requires a wicket or to check run flow. That’s how India and the Mumbai Indians (MI) have used him all these years.
From 2024 to IPL 2025, Bumrah bowled only 39% of overs in the first six sets, conceding 6.12 runs per over with 62% dot balls. The middle overs saw him bowl 26.35% of his total, where he had an economy rate of a mere 5.76. Most of his overs in this phase came between the 11-15 phase, where teams build a platform to unleash at the death.
Then, he finishes the remaining 34.65% of overs in the final five, where he again remains economical and gives only 6.11 runs. It’s not about quality; he can obviously bowl at any stage and deliver what the team requires. But his job should be to operate in tough overs, which won’t happen in this batting-heavy lineup, where India play a speedster less.
The problem with having Jasprit Bumrah, or any other pacer, as the only specialist is that pace resources are not evenly divided. In the current setup, Hardik bowls with the new ball, and India still need to complete his quota by bowling in slog overs. Additionally, the other pacer, who plays as the main, is forced to bowl more overs at the start, leaving death overs vulnerable.
For instance, a speedster will definitely bowl with the new ball to extract some movement, but this role should be assigned to a separate bowler and not a middle and death-over specialist. That is only possible if India leave out a spinner or batter. In the UAE conditions, the strategy works because spinners rule the roost, and pacers often don’t even need to complete their set.
In the current setup, India only have five specialists in the bowling department, with Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma as other options. But on nice batting decks, India must have at least one more specialist pacer, someone like Arshdeep Singh. That will allow India to use Arshdeep and Hardik with the new ball and keep Bumrah for the more arduous phase, with occasional introduction in the powerplay.
In death overs, India can’t trust Hardik or Dube, especially in India, where the T20 World Cup 2026 will be played. Since 2024, Hardik has had an economy rate of 11.47 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 4.20 in the final four overs. Even against Pakistan, he went for 16 in the 20th over.
Hardik’s slower ones won’t grip much on Indian surfaces, while Dube’s lack of enough bowling practice and medium pace make him prone. So, both must bowl out before slog overs begin. That is only possible if India use another speedster, and Arshdeep is the second-best T20 bowler in India.
Ideally, India should remove one of the three spinners – Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy – from the XI. They can continue with them in the Asia Cup 2025, but the management should not draw any conclusions based on this tournament. The quality of pitches and opponents will be massively different in the global event next year.
While spinners will get some help, India won’t necessarily need three specialist spinners, especially since Abhishek Sharma can fill in for a few overs if required. So, they should leave out one of them and bring in Arshdeep Singh, who provides so much flexibility. He can bowl across phases and makes powerplay and death overs, two phases when batters are the quickest, hard to hit.
He can bowl up to two overs at the start, with Hardik on the other end, before returning for the end. That will mean Hardik won’t be required much in the back end of the innings and bowl in his stronger portions. With Dube in the mix, India will have as many as four pace and three spin options to work with.
But one-bowler strategy means Bumrah’s precise use doesn’t happen and India become heavily susceptible in the death overs. Even in general, Hardik can’t be trusted to bowl in slog overs when that has never been his strength. What’s even worse is that India have quality options and still choose not to use them.
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