Jasprit Bumrah is one of the finest death overs bowlers around the world in white ball cricket with his variations and prowess of nailing yorkers, which make it difficult for the batters to take him on.
Under Rohit Sharma, he was majorly used only in the second half of the innings after bowling a solitary over while opening the bowling — a strategy that famously helped India lift the T20 World Cup 2024.
However, upon his T20I return during the Asia Cup 2025, as he plays under the Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir duo for the first time, his role has changed, with him being used predominantly as a powerplay bowler.
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Former India batter Mohammed Kaif has questioned this tactic and feels this could hurt India in the bigger games, before the bowler himself replied to the criticism and called out the inaccuracy in the notion.
Jasprit Bumrah replies to Mohammed Kaif's criticism over his use under Suryakumar Yadav
On Friday afternoon, after India booked their place in the Asia Cup final, the former cricketer took to his Twitter (X) and wrote how batters' mindset would work when they have to face only one of Bumrah's over after the end of the powerplay.
In the Asia Cup, India has only used two fast bowlers in Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, with a spin-heavy attack of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy managing the majority of the innings.
Pandya, on the other hand, has continued his role as an opening bowler, whose overs are also kept for the powerplay.
"Bumrah under Rohit would generally bowl overs 1, 13, 17, 19. Under Surya, in Asia Cup, he bowled a three-over spell at the start. To avoid injury, Bumrah these days prefers to bowl while his body is warmed up. 1 over of Bumrah in the remaining 14 overs is a huge relief for batters. Against stronger teams at the World Cup, this could hurt India," he said.
Hours later, India's lead fast bowler took it upon himself to hit back at Kaif's criticizm and called it an inaccurate analysis of his use under two captains.
Inaccurate before inaccurate again 👍🏾 https://t.co/knkjXOGOKb
— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) September 25, 2025
How has Bumrah performed in every phase of T20Is?
Over the years, the 31-year-old has played 74 T20Is and has more success with the older ball, when the batters try to finish the innings on a high note.
Here's a breakdown of Bumrah's T20I bowling in every phase of the innings:
| Overs | Innings | Wickets | Avg/SR | Economy rate | Dot % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powerplay (1-6) | 70 | 33 | 23.70/23.3 | 6.11 | 59 |
| Middle overs (7-15) | 32 | 15 | 14.40/16.0 | 5.40 | 52.5 |
| Death overs (16-20) | 61 | 46 | 15.00/12.80 | 7.02 | 44.5 |
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