India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah ignited a fire on social media after delivering a strong response to former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif's recent comments regarding his fitness and bowling strategy. Kaif, while analyzing India's use of Bumrah in the Asia Cup, had suggested that the pacer was deliberately avoiding the death overs as a measure to protect himself from potential injuries. Bumrah directly refuted this claim on X (formerly Twitter), stating that Kaif’s analysis was inaccurate and noting that this wasn't the first time the former cricketer had been wrong about him.
Jasprit Bumrah's apt reply to Mohammad Kaif's remark
The controversy centers on a distinct shift in Bumrah's deployment. Rather than splitting his overs across the powerplay, middle overs, and death, a strategy often employed when Rohit Sharma was captain, Bumrah has been bowling three consecutive overs with the new ball right at the start of the innings. Kaif observed this change under the leadership of captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir, suggesting that India might be overprotecting Bumrah.
Kaif had argued that while Bumrah might prefer bowling when "warmed up," skipping the high-pressure death overs could severely hurt India when they face stronger teams in the upcoming World Cup. He pointed out that Bumrah's absence in the final 14 overs of the game provided a significant relief for opposition batters, hinting that this new tactical shift might ultimately weaken India’s bowling strength during crucial finishing phases.
“Bumrah under Rohit would generally bowl overs 1, 13, 17, 19. Under Surya, in Asia Cup, he bowled a three-over spell at the start. To avoid injury, Bumrah these days prefers to bowl while his body is warmed up. 1 over of Bumrah in the remaining 14 overs is a huge relief for batters. Against stronger teams at World Cup, this could hurt India," Kaif posted on X.
Bumrah then came up with a witty yet no-nonsense reply to refute Kaif's claim and termed it 'inaccurate'
“Inaccurate before inaccurate again," Bumrah's post on X read.
The reality is that the BCCI has managed Bumrah with extreme caution ever since he sustained a back injury during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This injury forced him to miss a significant amount of cricket, including two crucial Test matches against England, and resulted in his return to T20I cricket after nearly a year on the sidelines. In fact, his participation in the Asia Cup itself had been a source of initial concern for the team management.