On the third day of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against New Zealand, Indian pace bowlers failed to capitalize on favorable conditions in the Ageas Bowl. Only two wickets were taken by bowlers Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Shami, who struggled to maintain excellent line and lengths on a continuous basis. Cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull believes India lacks a true swing bowler who might have exploited the circumstances and taken several wickets. let’s look India Is Definitely Missing Bhuvneshwar Kumar In The WTC
India Is Definitely Missing Bhuvneshwar Kumar In The WTC
Former India batsman Aakash Chopra believes Bhuvneshwar Kumar was greatly missed by the team. Surprisingly, the 31-year-old is one of the finest swing exponents in the country, with a real ability to swing the ball both ways. Chopra believes Kumar would have troubled the Kiwis if he had been at his best in Southampton.
The WTC Final is balanced delicately, with New Zealand making 101 runs and losing two wickets in response to India’s 217. The headline match now has two days left, with June 23 serving as a reserve day.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar could have done magic with the new ball for Team India”- Aakash Chopra
The former opening batter firmly felt Kumar was being missed by the Indians. “India is definitely missing Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He has three special aspects as well. Firstly, he does magic with the new ball. Secondly, he bowls the long spells. And the third thing is that he can bat as well. He could have done everything for Team India.”
The 43-year-old also compared New Zealand bowlers to India pacers in terms of their ability to produce swing regularly by releasing the ball due to strong action. Colin de Grandhomme seems to have bowled the most inswingers and outswingers among the Kiwi bowlers when compared to the other four bowlers. Chopra also believed that only Sharma could get a little swing, while Bumrah and Shami didn’t get much.
“Swinging conditions can only be utilized if the ball leaves your hand accordingly. We saw Colin de Grandhomme getting a lot of swing, then Southee, Jamieson, and Trent Boult, Ishant Sharma is still somewhere close but the other two are far behind. They don’t swing the ball, they are seam bowlers,” Chopra added.
Also read: WTC 2021-23: ICC Reveals Fixtures And New Points System
