Will be surprised if Bumrah is not picked for Champions Trophy, says Bond

MUMBAI INDIANS bowling coach Shane Bond has said that he will be very surprised if the Indian selectors decide not to take Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. 

Bond believes that the 23-year-old has great potential and that he will do well in all the formats. As reported by IndianExpress, the former Kiwi pacer said, 

“I will be surprised if he is not in the squad. He will be a good bowler in all formats. At the moment he is a good ODI and T20 bowler.”

Bumrah, who has picked nine wickets in eight games this season, is second on MI’s wicket-takers’ chart. The promising youngster has picked 22-wickets for the national side, since his debut in January 2016.

Bond showered praise on the Indian bowling attack and mentioned that the side has the right combination of seam and spin. 

“India have been playing their cricket at home. Ashwin, Jadeja are phenomenal in these conditions. But it has allowed the seam bowlers to come and make real impact and bowl quick. Umesh has developed as a bowler. Bhuvneshwar (Kumar) hasn’t played much and the benefits of his rest can be seen as his pace has come up again. So, when India (play) away from home, they have got a seam bowling attack which is going to be a handful, given the right conditions.”

Bond also praised Hardik Pandya and added that he is pleased to see the development of the MI all-rounder.

“He (Hardik) is our quickest bowler along with Bumrah at the moment. I am really pleased with the way he is coming along and developing. He has got a lot on his plate. He’s a genuine all-rounder, so we have to be very careful about managing his bowling. Bumrah is a world class white-ball bowler with his reputation as a death bowler. He does bowl good yorkers. We try him with Hardik, get them to use range of variations, because people know Bum’s (Bumrah’s) yorkers are so good.”

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