Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa believes that star pacer Jasprit Bumrah tends to lose his rhythm when he tries too hard to pick up wickets — a flaw that surfaced during India’s loss to Australia in the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 31 (Friday).
India faced a tough outing on a lively pitch, managing only 125 runs in 18.4 overs, thanks to a fiery spell from Josh Hazlewood and company. In defense, India needed early breakthroughs, but Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head counterattacked fiercely, taking 18 runs (including four byes) off Bumrah’s second over to set the tone for Australia’s chase.
Although Bumrah ended with 2/26 in four overs, both wickets came too late to make an impact as Australia cruised to victory by four wickets with nearly seven overs remaining.
Uthappa on Bumrah’s Bowling and India’s Missed Chances
Speaking on Star Sports, Uthappa analyzed India’s bowling effort, emphasizing that the team’s intent to pick early wickets backfired.
“When we were bowling after scoring 125, the start was very important. If we had picked up two or three wickets early, the game could have been closer because we have quality spinners in the middle overs. I felt we were probably trying too hard to pick up wickets. So we got a little wayward,” Uthappa said, as quoted by The Indian Express.
He further pointed out that Bumrah’s effectiveness lies in maintaining discipline and consistency rather than chasing wickets.
“Whenever Bumrah gets desperate to pick up wickets, he becomes slightly wayward. But when he sticks to his line and length, he usually gets wickets. Australia took full advantage of that waywardness at the start,” he added.
Batting Collapse Overshadows Abhishek Sharma’s Heroics
While Bumrah’s early overs drew scrutiny, the bigger problem was India’s batting collapse. On a challenging pitch, Abhishek Sharma stood out with a brilliant 68 off 37 balls, featuring eight fours and two sixes. In stark contrast, the top order — Shubman Gill (5), Sanju Samson (2), Suryakumar Yadav (1), Tilak Varma (0), and Axar Patel (7) — combined for only 15 runs, leaving India tottering at 49/5 inside eight overs.
Abhishek found some resistance from Harshit Rana (35 off 33), with the duo adding 56 runs for the sixth wicket, ensuring India went past 120. Apart from these two, no other batter reached double digits.
Uthappa expressed disappointment at the lack of application from the batting unit:
“It was slightly disappointing because the batters could have given themselves some time. They went too hard early and lost too many wickets in the powerplay,” he said.
He added that the young Indian side must learn to adapt to the extra bounce in Australian conditions.
“Abhishek had a good partnership with Harshit, but others didn’t support him. If they had, India could’ve scored at least 150. This young team will learn to adjust their game plans accordingly,” Uthappa noted.
With the opening game washed out, Australia lead the five-match T20I series 1-0. The third T20I will be played in Hobart on November 2 (Sunday), where India will aim to bounce back strongly.
