5 reasons why Jasprit Bumrah should be considered for India's 2018 away tours

Jasprit Bumrah has developed into a world-class bowler in the shorter formats of the game. His mastery of bowling in the death overs has been lauded by many experts. His hyper-extended shoulders keep his arm and elbow straight, giving him the advantages of both a high-arm and springy release.

Though his unusual bowling action plays a vital role in his success, his USP is his accuracy in bowling yorkers and slower-ones. Despite being an instant success in ODIs and T20s, he is yet to be considered for five-day games. However, the time has come for India to test his skills in the longer format.

India are scheduled to play South Africa, England, and Australia away from home in 2018 and they definitely need a pool of fast bowlers to be successful in those testing conditions. Even cricketing greats like Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath have spoken in favour of considering the Indian pace-man for Test cricket. This article covers five key reasons why Bumrah should be considered to play for India in the longer format of the game:

#1 Bumrah's fantastic First Class record

If you have the unyielding opinion that Bumrah is just a limited-overs player, then you are probably not paying much attention to India's domestic circuit. Gujarat are the current Ranji Trophy champions and the fast bowler played a key role in their success. His five-for against Odisha in the quarter-finals and a six-for against Jharkhand in the semi-finals paved the way for their maiden victorious campaign.

He has played 26 first-class games with an impressive tally of 89 wickets. His average of 25.33 with a strike-rate of 56.3 on placid Indian wickets is an extraordinary feat for a fast bowler. His red ball record is far better than his compatriots Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami.

It is unfair to deny Bumrah a chance in Test cricket by stating that he is a limited-overs specialist.

Bumrah isn't just a death-overs specialist anymore

Bumrah didn't make an impression with his new ball exploits initially. However, he has come of age now and has started influencing the new ball department as well, whilst retaining his death-bowling prowess. Extracting purchase off the surface and generating swing in the air is of utmost importance for any new ball bowler.

Bumrah has developed the art of in-swingers to right-hand batsmen and it is now proving to be an effective weapon in the first 10 overs. His opening combination with Bhuvneshwar Kumar is also turning out to be a grand success. His recent five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka last month vindicates his ascendancy as a new ball bowler.

His transition from a death-over specialist to an all-round bowler has been sensational in the last three to four months and he is ready to take the world of Test cricket by storm. Indian selectors should give him a chance in the upcoming home Test series against Sri Lanka before the vital 2018 away tours.

Pool of fast bowling talent is more of a mandate than a luxury

India believe that the current fast bowling line up can win them overseas tours

India will be playing three Tests against South Africa in January, five Tests against England in July-August, and four Tests against Australia in December next year. Playing a total of 12 away Tests in a year will definitely be taxing on the Indian bowlers, especially the fast bowlers.

Though the current bunch of fast bowlers (Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma) are doing a good job, India will definitely need a few others in the scheme of things, and Bumrah fits the bill.

If you recall, an injury to Zaheer Khan in the first game of the 2013 England tour had a detrimental effect on India's performance in the whole series. They mustn't let that happen again.

Current fast bowlers' records are poor overseas

The averages in overseas conditions will worry any Indian fan

There is an upbeat mood in the Indian camp about their fast bowling resources. India's fast bowlers have done a great job in the past few years in home conditions. However, a close look at their away performances will leave us in a state of shock. The above table shows the dismal bowling average of India's current fast bowlers in foreign conditions.

Though the quickies produced occasional good spells, India lost too many key moments in matches. For instance, the Indian fast bowlers couldn't stop Mitchell Johnson from scoring 88 on a seamer-friendly Brisbane wicket in 2014-15. South Africa played a staggering 136 overs on day 5 to draw a Test match in the 2013-14 series.

Bumrah has been in great form for the past year and his ability to bowl in-swingers, quick yorkers and deceptive slower-balls will definitely be useful against top batsmen.

Moreover, India can use him as a surprise element in Test matches. Longer format specialists like Alastair Cook, Dean Elgar, and Temba Bavuma would never have faced his uncanny bowling before. It is not going to be easy playing against the Indian pacer for the first time in swinging conditions. India can exploit his unique skills to their strategic advantage.

If the current Indian fast bowlers' indifferent away form continues, what contingency plan do the Indian selectors have? What if one or two fast bowlers get injured? Who will the selectors choose as the fifth fast bowling option? Bumrah is the solution.

Bumrah's exceptional work-rate

Jasprit Bumrah possesses exceptional work-rate

Generally, in overseas conditions, fast bowlers have to bowl the most overs due to the seamer-friendly nature of the surfaces. A bowler's work rate becomes a vital factor in these conditions. India need bowlers with good work-rates so that they do not need a fifth bowling option. Of all the top bowlers in India, Bumrah has the best work-rate, averaging 19.90 overs per innings in the domestic circuit.

The best example to show his remarkable work-rate is the Ranji Trophy semi-final match against Jharkhand. He bowled a staggering 27 overs in the first innings in hot Nagpur conditions where even the spinners were exhausted. Parthiv Patel kept his trust in the fast bowler despite him taking just one wicket. The captain's trust went a long way as Bumrah took a match-winning six-for in the 2nd innings.

There is another spell which the pace-man himself feels proud of. On a flat Hubli surface, he bowled 27 overs to take a six-for in the 1st innings which helped Gujarat take the first-innings lead against Mumbai in a league match.

India do not have many fast bowlers who are renowned for bowling longer spells. He will be beneficial for India on hard and flat Australian surfaces where every fast bowler has to bowl more than 20 overs per innings.