Former India batter Robin Uthappa made an interesting observation about Jasprit Bumrah, noting that the pacer tends to lose his rhythm when he tries too hard to pick up wickets. His comments came after the second T20I at the MCG, where Bumrah struggled with the new ball and went wicketless in the powerplay before striking twice in his final over—though the breakthrough came too late to alter India’s fortunes.
After India were bundled out for 125, the onus was on Bumrah to pick early wickets, but Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head adopted an attacking approach to put the bowlers under pressure straightaway. The pair shared a 51-run stand before Varun Chakaravarthy got the better of Head but Australia kept going hard and chased down the target quite comfortably in 13.2 overs.
Reflecting on India’s bowling effort after a modest total of 125, Uthappa felt the team lost its discipline early on. He explained that an early breakthrough or two could have shifted momentum, but India’s bowlers tried too hard for wickets and eventually strayed from their plans.
"When we were bowling after scoring 125, the start was very important. If we had picked up two or three wickets in the first three or four overs, the game could have been closer because we have quality spinners in the middle overs. I felt we were probably trying too hard to pick up wickets. So we got a little wayward," Uthappa said on Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}"When we were bowling after scoring 125, the start was very important. If we had picked up two or three wickets in the first three or four overs, the game could have been closer because we have quality spinners in the middle overs. I felt we were probably trying too hard to pick up wickets. So we got a little wayward," Uthappa said on Star Sports.
{{/usCountry}}Chakravarthy emerged as India’s standout performer with two wickets, while Bumrah and Kuldeep also chipped in with a couple each. However, by the time they found their rhythm, the match had already slipped beyond India’s reach.
“Australia took full advantage of Bumrah's waywardness”
Uthappa analysed Bumrah’s rare off day against Australia, pointing out a recurring pattern in the pacer’s performances. He noted that Bumrah tends to lose his accuracy when he gets too eager for wickets, allowing opponents like Australia to capitalise early in the innings at the MCG.
"I have observed that whenever Bumrah gets desperate to pick up wickets, he becomes slightly wayward, and when he is disciplined and hits a good line and length, he mostly picks up wickets. Australia took full advantage of that waywardness at the start, the way we started with the ball in the second innings," he added.