India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav defended pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah‘s disappointing performance during India’s six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup Super Fours clash in Dubai on Sunday. Despite Bumrah’s struggles, India maintained their winning streak in the tournament, successfully chasing Pakistan’s highest T20I first-innings total of 171/5 against India.Bumrah, who returned to the final XI after being rested for the Oman match, was expected to make an impact but struggled throughout his spell. The strategy was to have him bowl three overs in the powerplay and save one for the death overs.His performance began poorly when Fakhar Zaman hit consecutive boundaries in his opening over. Bumrah continued to struggle, missing yorkers and bowling no-balls, ultimately finishing with figures of 0/45. His only wicket-taking opportunity was dropped by vice-captain Shubman Gill.“That’s fine, he’s not a robot, he will have a bad day someday. Dube bailed us out of the situation,” said Suryakumar Yadav during the post-match presentation.With Bumrah underperforming, Shivam Dube stepped up to provide crucial breakthroughs. Using slower deliveries and scrambled seam bowling, Dube dismissed set batsmen Sahibzada Farhan (58) and Saim Ayub (21), finishing with figures of 2/33.
Pakistan’s innings featured a late surge from Faheem Ashraf, helping them post their highest T20I total against India while batting first.India’s successful chase was anchored by strong performances from Abhishek Sharma, who scored 74 runs, and Shubman Gill, who contributed 47 runs. Their partnership established the foundation for India’s victory.
