Mussab Tariq
Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan says India’s bowling attack is over “dependent” on pacer Jasprit Bumrah, and they should track down the “right equilibrium” by adding a spinner and getting Hardik Pandya to bowl a couple of overs in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Indian bowlers couldn’t take a solitary wicket in their opening match as Pakistan opening hitters Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam pursued down a 152-run focus effortlessly to score up a 10-wicket win, their first over India in a World Cup match.
“The group which concerns me in such manner (bowling) is India. Jasprit Bumrah is a match-victor, yet they look somewhat dependent on him right now on the bowling side,” Muralitharan wrote in his column in ICC.
India went with three pacers against Pakistan, and Muralitharan feels captain Virat Kohli can consider remembering Ravichandran Ashwin for the playing XI and get a couple of overs from all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has played absolutely as a batsman in the primary game.
“They could do with a leg spinner in the group, or possibly Ravichandran Ashwin. It very well may be an instance of going down to two quick bowlers and depending on Hardik Pandya to bowl.
“It is tied in with tracking down the right equilibrium and not depending a lot on Bumrah.” Muralitharan, who is viewed as one of the best at any point to play the game with 800 Test and 534 ODI wickets, feels Pakistan is best positioned to win the title.
“With regards to the group in the best position, however, I think Pakistan is solid since they have effectively beaten the two most grounded groups in their gathering in India and New Zealand.
“They have such a lot of ability, which has consistently been the situation, yet as the West Indies, before, they used to have those off days where they played gravely.” Pakistan, the 2009 winners, are unbeaten in the competition up until now.
“This group feels unique. I don’t know where it has come from, but rather they have energy and a top-notch bowling assault,” the Sri Lankan wrote.
“The batting is worked around Babar Azam, who is their one elite player, however at that point, there is the experience of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, who have been playing 15 years of global cricket, just as some great young people. Customarily they have not been a solid handling group, however that has changed too.”
Muralitharan trusts the arrangement of previous Australian opener Matthew Hayden as a batting mentor has helped the group enormously.
“The greatest thing for them however has been the contribution of Matthew Hayden. He comprehends the game from his playing days, and it seems like has been an extraordinary counselor for the group. That is a major factor in how great they look,” he wrote.
The 49-year-old Sri Lankan likewise pampered acclaim on Pakistan’s bowling attack.
“One thing that has been clear at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is that the best groups have solid bowling attacks.
“Pakistan has been risky due to the speed of Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi. They can bowl at more than 140km, bowling yorkers, and more slow balls.
“The additional room has a major effect in these conditions, and afterward about the spinners can adhere to a line and length.” Muralitharan was likewise dazzled with the Afghanistan turn pair of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan, who skittled out Scotland for 60 during their initial match.
“I have been flabbergasted by the Afghanistan spinners, they have been the pick of the bowlers so far for me,” he said.
“Without a doubt, they were maybe playing one of the more fragile groups however how Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan bowled against Scotland was extraordinary – the hitters were entranced.
“Assuming they can bowl like that in other matches, they can be a genuine danger.” An individual from the 1996 50-over World Cup-winning group, Muralitharan said the Afghanistan group reminds him “a touch of Sri Lanka when we prevailed upon the 50 ICC Men’s Reality Cup in 1996.”
“At the point when I recall 1996, we had a ton of experienced hitters and afterward some great youthful bowlers. The conditions helped us, we were exceptionally solid at home all through the 1990s, and we realized how to play the conditions. It was anything but an accident, we had the ability,” he composed.
“The equivalent is valid for Afghanistan, you have Mohammad Nabi, who has been playing for quite a while, and afterward some encouraging youthful hitters – Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz did well against Scotland.
“That is without thinking about the spinners. In the more limited structure, they have a ton of involvement from playing establishment cricket. So I’m not sure why they can’t be surprisingly strong contenders in this competition.”