KL Rahul backs ‘champion’ Jasprit Bumrah to come back after indifferent shows in Sydney ODIs

KL Rahul, the vice-captain of Team India, reckons that it’s a matter of time before fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah finds his rhythm back. In the first two ODIs against Australia in Sydney, the speedster picked up two wickets and conceded 73 and 79 runs respectively in his spells of 10 overs. Bumrah, along with Mohammed Shami and Navdeep Saini, has had to bear the brunt of the Aussie batting.

Bumrah was also lacklustre during the three-match ODI series against New Zealand earlier this year. Back then, he couldn’t get a wicket and also lost his number-one ODI bowlers’ ranking to Trent Boult. However, the 28-year-old Rahul feels that it would be unfair to draw conclusions because the pitches in Australia and New Zealand are conducive to batting.

Jasprit Bumrah means a lot to Team India, says Rahul

“Look, we all know Jasprit is quite fiery and he is very very competitive on the field. And he has very high expectations of himself,” Rahul was quoted as saying in the post-match press conference. “New Zealand was a long long time ago. I am sure he sets the bar very high… he means a lot to this team and to this set-up and we know the value of Jasprit,” he stated.

“It is about time a champion player like that will come back and deliver and get wickets for us. You also have to understand that New Zealand and Australia, the wickets are so good to bat on. You will see top bowlers not getting wickets [once in a while]. So that is acceptable,” Rahul added.

India, after their 51-run defeat on Sunday, conceded an unassailable 2-0 lead to the home team. The last and final ODI is set to be played on Wednesday, December 2 at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. Rahul said that despite the losses, the Indian cricketers are trying to stay upbeat.

“The mood in the camp has been, and is, still very positive. Sometimes as teams, you learn to accept that the opposition played better cricket. It is home conditions for them,” Rahul mentioned. India are on a five-match losing streak in ODIs after their 0-3 drubbing at the hands of the Black Caps.