Bumrah opens up on Test captaincy ambitions ahead of Perth Test
There was a sense of self-motivation when Jasprit Bumrah came to address the pre-match presser ahead of the opening Test against Australia in Perth starting Friday.
Former Australia speedster Brett Lee believes Jasprit Bumrah can fill the shoes of Lasith Malinga as the Sri Lankan veteran will miss the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Malinga wanted to be with his family back home in Sri Lanka and thus opted out for this year’s IPL. According to Lee, Bumrah is good with both old and the new ball and thus can ball at the death overs.
“I have always been a Bumrah fan ever since he burst into the scenes some years ago. He has got a different bowling action, he pushes the ball in and can swing the ball both ways,” Lee said while speaking on Star Sports show Game Plan.
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“He is good with the new ball but I like him with the old ball and that’s why he can fill the shoes of Malinga and can bowl at death overs. He can bowl at 140kmph and zoom the ball in at the batsman’s feet. He is bowling yorkers consistently and there are very less bowlers like that, so he can fill those shoes,” he added.
Apart from picking up Mumbai as one of the favourites, Lee has has said that Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings stand a brilliant chance to win their fourth title, especially due to their spin attack.
“I have picked them to win and I think CSK have a good chance because of their spin attack.
“With (Mitchell) Santner, (Ravindra) Jadeja needs to step up and be the number one spinner and CSK have got great variety and none of the spinners are same, so they are at an advantage for the conditions in the UAE as the tournament progresses,” he said.
The 2020 season of the IPL will be played for 53 days from September 19 to November 10 across three venues in the UAE — Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai. Munbai Indians and CSK will face each other in the opening match.
The final match will be played on a Tuesday, to make it the first-ever IPL to have its final on a weekday. The matches this season will also start 30 minutes before their original time of 4 PM and 8 PM.
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