'It is about creating pressure...': Gautam Gambhir reveals reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's heavy usage during powerplay in Asia Cup

India head coach Gautam Gambhir opened up on why Jasprit Bumrah was heavily used during the powerplay in Asia Cup. Notably, Bumrah had been given three overs during the powerplay in the tournament on multiple occasions. He revealed that the strategy was used in order to make the team a fully aggressive side in both the batting and bowling departments.

Bumrah didn't bowl much in the death

This move ended up surprising many as Bumrah has been known to bowl in the death overs, but his heavy usage in the powerplay saw him barely bowl in the final few overs.

“A lot of people associate this T20 team with aggressive batting. But I think using Jassi for three overs upfront was an even more aggressive option with the ball. We don’t want to be known only for our aggressive batting order. We want to be recognized as an aggressive side overall. We wanted to test that approach and see where it takes us," Gambhir said in an interview with BCCI.

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Gambhir further pointed out that Bumrah's heavy usage in the powerplay not only allowed them to pressurize their opponents, but it also gave spinners like Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav the freedom to attack during the middle overs.

“Bowling Jassi’s first three overs up front often helped us win the powerplay. That gave bowlers like Varun and Kuldeep the freedom to attack in the middle overs. It’s about creating pressure early so others can capitalise later," Gambhir stated.

“We want to play in the moment, respond to what’s happening right now, not think too far ahead to the 17th or 18th over. That’s how we’ll evolve as a team," he added.

Bumrah's performance in Asia Cup

Bumrah finished the Asia Cup with seven wickets from five matches and even though his performance wasn't world-class or anything, he did provide the team with strong starts in the powerplay and mounted pressure on the opposing batters from the get-go. It remains to be seen if the team management will continue using Bumrah heavily during the powerplay in the upcoming T20I assignments including the 2026 T20 World Cup.