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India have a quality pool of fast bowlers in the 20-over format of the game. Every year in the Indian Premier League (IPL), we see new talents emerging in the fast bowling department.
The duo of Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma took over in November 2021 after India's exit from the T20 World Cup. Since then, chances have been handed out to the top performers in the IPL - Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan. The likes of Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik have also been in and around India's setup in T20Is.
Here, we discuss the three fast bowlers who will be playing crucial roles for the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup.
#3 Harshal Patel
Prior to IPL 2021, Harshal Patel was not among the top fast bowling options in the country. He was picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after which he had a stellar IPL season in 2021. He picked up 32 wickets and was the MVP of the season. He followed it up with another good season for RCB in 2022.
Harshal isn't an out-and-out fast bowler like a few other pacers in the country. However, he is a thinking cricketer. He has the ability to vary his pace, line and length extremely well in death overs.
Harshal's international record is also impressive. He made his debut last year against New Zealand after the T20 World Cup and has picked up 18 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 8.14 since then.
He is also a handy lower-order hitter, hence giving the team batting depth in the shortest format.
#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been written off by fans and critics multiple times in the recent past. However, he seems to have gained some good form of late. He stepped up for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL and for India in the recently concluded five-match T20I series against South Africa.
He picked up six wickets in four matches at an economy rate of slightly above six. Since November 2021, Bhuvneshwar has picked up 14 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 6.97 and an average of 18.92.
Kumar has played three matches in Australia, where he has picked up three wickets at an economy rate of 6.8. Although it's a very small sample size to draw relevant conclusions, he is expected to enjoy the conditions in Australia during the global T20 event.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah
Arguably one of the best bowlers in the world irrespective of the format, Bumrah will once again lead India's pace attack in Australia later this year. He is an all-phase bowler and can adapt according to the requirements of the playing XI. Before the World Cup, he will most probably be a part of the T20 series against England in July.
Bumrah has been a consistent performer in the last three seasons of the IPL. However, he was not at his best in the most recent edition of the tournament. The national team management has used their star bowlers sparingly when it comes to bilateral T20Is.
Bumrah has an impressive record in Australia in T20 cricket. He has picked up eight wickets in six matches for India at an average of 23 and an economy rate of 8.09. The conditions suit his style of bowling and it is important that he utilizes them to their best potential.
