Jasprit Bumrah or Bhuvneshwar Kumar? Kapil Dev chooses and his answer might surprise you

Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev on Monday made an ominous prediction about fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Dev opines that Bumrah’s bowling action made him prone to frequent injuries, which may affect his career in the long run. The 1983 World Cup-winning captain added that bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar have a technically sound action and would last longer than those such as Bumrah.

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The Indian legend was speaking to a leading Indian media daily about the importance of technique in creating a more significant impact on the game. Incidentally, Bumrah is currently recovering from a back injury. It has kept him from playing since the South Africa Test series in October.

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Kapil Dev gave the example of his former teammate Bishan Singh Bedi, saying that the latter was a body bowler rather than an arm or a wrist bowler. Kapil Dev said that this made Bedi a technically sounder bowler. He further added that the same is the case with batsmen. Kapil Dev said that Gavaskar and Tendulkar were technically sound batsmen, which allowed them to play longer. However, he added that batsmen who rely more on hand-eye co-ordination are players who are more enjoyable to watch, citing Virender Sehwag and GR Viswanath as examples.

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Jasprit Bumrah's bowling action attracts injuries 

Dev was critical of Bumrah’s bowling action, something which even former West Indies pace bowler Michael Holding had spoken about while commentating for the official broadcaster of India's tour of England in 2018. Kapil Dev explained that Bumrah’s bowling has more use of the arm rather than the body, which leaves him vulnerable to injuries. He predicted that comparatively, Bhuvneshwar, who has a more rhythmic and smoother bowling action, will make him last longer and be more effective.

The former all-rounder stated though bowlers favoured short deliveries, it was the fuller ones that often fetch more wickets. He added that it should be the bowler and not the captain who sets the field during a match. For that, bowlers need more of self-confidence as they are the better judge of their bowling and its outcome. Citing his own example, Dev said that when he was the captain, he would ask his bowlers what field they wanted as it yielded better results. He concluded by lauding spinner Ravichandran Ashwin as one such proactive bowler.