Jasprit Bumrah's form a cause for concern, reckons VVS Laxman

Ever since his return from a stress fracture in his back, Jasprit Bumrah has looked a bit rusty and the New Zealand batsmen have taken full advantage. The fast bowler has been a touch expensive at times and has not been able to provide breakthroughs for India, which contributed majorly to them losing the ODI series. And, former Indian batsman VVS Laxman believes that this is a big worry for the team. He wrote in his column for TOI,

It must be a cause for concern for India that Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli's go-to bowler whenever he has needed breakthroughs, has been short of wickets all tour. Additionally, his lengths too haven't been spot-on, which means he hasn't been able to impose usual pressure. Of course, New Zealand's batsmen have played him well, with Taylor in the forefront.

After being thrashed 5-0 in the T20I series, New Zealand came out all guns blazing in the 50-over format and have wrapped up the series with one game left to play. Ross Taylor, who was criticized for not being able to finish games for New Zealand in the T20Is, has played a big part in both games as his runs were the difference between the two sides on both occasions.

It was a monumental effort by the Black Caps, who were also missing their skipper Kane Williamson and also other key players like Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry. On the above, Laxman wrote,

Once again, Ross Taylor showed what a class act he is, batting through the innings after India clawed their way back in the middle stages. At one stage, it looked as if New Zealand might have to settle for 220 or thereabouts, but through sensible batting, they reached a total which gave their bowlers something to fight with.

Laxman also believed that the Indian team made too many mistakes, mentioning that the errors made by set batsmen like Shreyas Iyer coast them the game. However, he remains hopeful that India would tweak their strategy slightly and avoid a series whitewash, when the teams lock horns on the 11th of February at the Bay Oval.