jalebi_bhai

This 100% Same applies to Pandya as well. Luckily we now have Nitish Reddy to keep him on his toes.

Here are the numbers. Now you tell me. One thing is team winning without Bumrah. Different matter when other bowlers are actually stepping up in his absence and the results are better. Even if he's performing well but the results are worse, then he is proving to be a net negative only. If the preferential treatment given to him is affecting other's performance, then it is correct to ask questions. We drew this series by winning games he skipped/rested. CT was also won without him. In nearly a decade worth of ICC tournaments, Bumrah has stepped up in the clutch maybe once or twice max. It is definitely something to look further into.

Just to play shaitan's advocate, maybe it's because we have a better recent record in Tests without him? RoKo, Ashwin are no longer there to be scapegoated in the format and our bowlers are winning games without him, with Siraj performing exceptionally well in his absence. We also won the CT 2025 without him, with RoKo taking turns to step up in the knockouts. Gabba 21 was also breached in his absence. Whether we like to admit it or not, Bumrah has a pretty poor record in the clutch, T20 WC 2024 being an exception. There is no justification for vitriolic criticism. However, if we want superstar culture to end, if we want to purge seniority culture, no one should be above constructive criticism. Sab ek barabar, no sacred cows. SRT, MSD, Rohit, VK have all been bajaoed by Indian fans, why should Bumrah be an exception?

Don't think it is an issue of genetics. It is a bunch of other factors at play. 1. We value longevity over impact: A cultural problem to be honest (look at Indian politics). Rather than trying to create a culture where we keep producing impactful fast bowlers who will go at full tilt for 20-30 Tests, we settle for fast medium bowlers who get seduced by the carrot of playing 50+ Tests by just doing enough. The day we accept that express fast bowlers will inevitably break down, we can actually starting planning and building a sustainable pool of genuine fast bowlers. 2. Who/where are the Indian fast bowling mentors?: Bharat Arun, TA Sekhar have some sort of track record. Who else? Paras Mhambrey with the U19s 7 years back? There is a paucity of bona fide Indian mentors for our fast bowlers in domestics so who exactly are they going to learn from? 3. Non-Existent Skill vs Pace debate: Being able to consistently bowl fast is a skill in itself. Even Bhuvi/Unadkat can bowl one or two balls above 145. But being consistently quick requires a deep understanding of one's own anatomy and biomechanics plus the fitness to execute. Unfortunately, a few expensive spells of bowling later, we discourage our own bowlers from bowling quick. Even in T20s where variations like knuckle ball, chuckle ball, buckle ball etc are used, the best pace bowlers historically have been the likes of Malinga, Gul and Bumrah who were genuine quicks. Let's not compensate lack of pace with this chooran of being 'skillful' Long story short, it's not a talent problem. It's a talent management problem.

Thanks Mariyam. Won't be going for the finals. Too much hassle. Took me an hour to just get out of the parking areas post-game. Today's game more or less satiated my appetite for the stadium experience.

The local Indian MC was the only downside. Annoying af

Thanks guys. Crowd was actually good for a Tuesday. 75-80% at peak capacity.

Went for today's game and had a pretty good time. Was a nice, tight contest for the most part. Both teams fought hard but in the end the quality of our batting prevailed. Some observations: 1. This was a match winning total by Australia. It was enough. It was quite hot and dry in the afternoon. Pitch wasn't a patta and scoring runs was hard work. Carey was their best batsmen on the day and frankly no bowler looked like they would be able to dismiss him, so no surprises he was out run-out. With a bit more quality in bowling, Ozs would have cooked us In fact, I would go as far as to say if Kohli had gotten out instead of Iyer at the same time, we would have massively struggled. So credit to our boys on acing a tricky chase 2. Rohit might be the captain of the team, but Virat is still very much the heartbeat and voice of the pack. All the energy was circling around Kohli only. We can joke about PR agencies and whatnot, but Kohli's connection with the crowd is just organically on another level. Can't be manufactured by any PR agency. As long as Virat was batting, the crowd had a sense of calm. He was largely in control in the middle and he only decided to take on the bowling once KL was reasonably set and the game was in the bag. Was a joy to watch him control a crunch chase. 3. Irrespective of the quality of the XI they put out, Ozs in ICC knockouts are relentless. They do not stop. Even with only 60 odd to defend with India having wickets, they were maintaining a high intensity. Their heads only dropped after Hardik smoked Zampa for a brace of sixes but till that moment, they were really giving it everything. With a bit more quality in bowling, they would have probably beat us. Overall, total paisa vasool outing. Hope our boys get the job done on Sunday

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