India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav stood firmly behind pace ace Jasprit Bumrah after a tough outing in their thrilling six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup Super Fours match in Dubai on Sunday.
Bumrah, the star bowler who’s famous for his pinpoint yorkers and tricky variations, just couldn’t find his rhythm this time. Coming back after sitting out the last group game against Oman, he aimed to dominate the powerplay. The plan was straightforward: bowl three overs up front and save some energy for the death overs. But things went south fast. In his first over, Fakhar Zaman smashed back-to-back boundaries, setting the tone for a rough night. Bumrah struggled with his yorkers, bowled a couple of no-balls, and ended up with expensive figures of 0/45 from four overs. He created just one real chance—a potential wicket that vice-captain Shubman Gill dropped—which pretty much captured his frustrating spell.
Suryakumar didn’t dwell on it during the post-match chat. “That’s fine, he’s not a robot. He’ll have a bad day someday,” the skipper said about Bumrah. Instead, he praised Shivam Dube for stepping up big when India needed it most. With Bumrah off his game, Dube grabbed the spotlight. The powerful all-rounder bowled clever scrambled seam deliveries at slower speeds, breaking through with key wickets of Sahibzada Farhan (58) and Saim Ayub (21). Those dismissals shifted the momentum in the high-stakes India-Pakistan rivalry clash. Dube finished with impressive figures of 2/33, putting the brakes on Pakistan’s scoring.
Pakistan fought back late thanks to Faheem Ashraf’s quick runs, posting 171/5—their highest total batting first against India in T20Is. But India chased it down comfortably in the Asia Cup encounter. Openers Abhishek Sharma (74) and Shubman Gill (47) built a solid foundation with a strong partnership, keeping India’s winning streak alive in the tournament.
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