Kapil Dev warns Rohit Sharma of consequences over Jasprit Bumrah’s mistreatment

Legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev isn’t happy with Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The World Cup-winning captain questioned the Indian cricket team management’s decision not to open the bowling with Jasprit Bumrah in the tournament.

The legendary cricketer slammer Rohit Sharma and Indian head coach Rahul Dravid’s strategy as he expressed his frustration at the underutilization of Bumrah in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. He emphasized the importance of Bumrah opening the bowling for Team India, citing his ability to take early wickets as a game-changer in the mega ICC event.

During a batting slump against Pakistan in the second half of their innings, India delivered impressive performances in their first two ICC T20 World Cup 2024 matches. Their dominant display against Ireland was followed by a close win over arch-rivals Pakistan, with the Indian bowlers shining brightly.

The Men in Blue would like to keep their unbeaten record intact as they advance towards the Super 8 stage of the tournament. The glaring question puzzling the fans is why India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah is not opening the bowling attack.

Bumrah, India’s best fast bowler is being brought in as the first or second change by captain Rohit Sharma. This has left Kapil Dev perplexed. Kapil firmly believes that regardless of the conditions, Bumrah should be entrusted to bowl the opening over, as failing to do so could jeopardize India’s chances of winning the match.

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“To understand the captain’s thought process, I would need to speak with them directly next time. From the outside, we can only speculate, but based on my experience playing and watching cricket, the wicket-taking bowler should bowl the first over. If you demote them to the second, third, fifth or sixth over instead, the game could easily slip away,” opined Dev on ABP News.

Bumrah has been effective in the role, picking up 2/6 against Ireland and a match-winning 3/14 against Pakistan. As per Kapil Dev, there is nothing more dangerous and intimidating for a batter than facing Bumrah steaming in to open the bowling attack.

“When Bumrah opens the bowling and claims a couple of wickets early on in a short spell, it puts the opposing team on the back foot. This then eases the pressure on the other bowlers. While Bumrah may occasionally get hit, the key is to maintain a positive, proactive mindset when planning your strategy,” he stated.

Bumrah and India will be in action as they face the USA on June 12th in New York.