edited by: Aditya Maheshwari
Last Update: January 28, 2023, 15:33 IST
Umran Malik bowled just one over in the first T20 International against New Zealand (AP Image)
Jaffer feels pacer Umran is going to struggle in the shortest format as he does not use cutters and relies heavily on his raw pace to pick up wickets.
Former opener Wasim Jaffer has suggested changes in India’s playing XI for the second T20 International after the loss to New Zealand in Ranchi on Friday. It was a bad night at the office for Hardik Pandya and Co. as they turned out to be the underdogs in the team with their poor performances with both bat and ball. The Indian pacers failed to get their variations right on the surface which was helping the spinners more. Both Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh proved costly India Extra 20-25 runs were leaked which even captain Hardik Pandya admitted in the post-match presentation.
Jaffer feels pacer Umran is going to struggle in the shortest format as he does not use cutters and relies heavily on his raw pace to pick up wickets.
“Unless he changes his pace, Umran Malik (is likely to struggle) in this format. Even today (Friday) when he came to bowl, he must have felt that cutters are probably a better option. But he doesn’t bowl like that,” Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo.
The veteran Indian opener said that on pitches like Ranchi, fast bowlers have to use the variation well as bowling at a constant pace can backfire.
“Someone bowling 145 kmph on pitches like these, you love to face those sort of things because the ball goes off the bat so quickly,” he added.
For the second T20I between India and New Zealand, Jaffer suggested that India should replace Umran with Jitesh Sharma in the playing XI to strengthen their batting line-up. Jitesh impressed many with his stroke-making in the slog overs for Punjab Kings in IPL 2022.
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“Maybe Jitesh Sharma or even Prithvi Shaw in his place. Jitesh is a better option because you need someone to bat lower down the order. I think one more batsman will solve the purpose.
The 44-year-old emphasized that Umran and Shivam Mavi bowled just three overs combined and with this combination, India lost a batsman in the lower order.
Umran Malik bowled just one over, even Shivam Mavi did not bowl before the 14th over. When those two bowlers bowl only three overs, you kind of question whether you were playing with an extra batsman,” he said.
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