Jasprit Bumrah: India's balance point

On a warm evening in Dubai, Jasprit Bumrah was standing at point.

Not running in, not preparing for one of his yorkers, not even shadow-practising his short, staccato run-up but just manning the point region, a fielding position more often associated with the athleticism of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, and Ravindra Jadeja than with India's lead fast bowler.

In that game against Pakistan, he caught the very first legitimate ball at point. Saim Ayub, attempting a cut shot, guided it straight to him. Bumrah, who has built his career on the angles of his bowling, now became the catcher of one.

Two days later, at the ICC Cricket Academy in Dubai, the moment resurfaced. During practice, fielding coach T Dilip called him over for a drill. Bumrah playfully protested: "Ab toh point ka fielder ho gaya hoon main!" (I am a point fielder now!)

Dilip chuckled but made him do it anyway. The drill was simple: defend the area between two sets of cones. Others had to dive around for low catches but Bumrah was spared most of those. His session ended quickly, with Dilip explaining, "I don't want to stretch you."

India don't push Bumrah too hard in the nets. They save that for the matches.

Before sharpening his fielding skills on Tuesday (September 16), Bumrah had bowled to Sanju Samson, stretching his run-up bit by bit until it was full. Samson, who usually bats late in this tournament, was among the first in this time. His stint was brief. And Bumrah's overs, sharp.

Around him, some of the players ran Bronco tests on the sidelines. Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma and Tilak Varma completed the 60 meter sprints and peeled off shirts, Dubai heat and humidity finally getting to them.

On the adjoining ground at the ICC Academy, Pakistan had turned up for their own session. In one of their centre nets, Saim Ayub faced Haris Rauf, slashing away at short and wide balls. It was the same cut shot he had played against India, the one that had landed in Bumrah's hands at point two nights earlier. The scorecard had it as "c Bumrah b Pandya." Now Ayub was practicing the shot again and again, as if trying to put it right.

But Bumrah's importance in this Asia Cup isn't only about catching at point or being India's lone frontline seamer. He has been used differently, with more aggression up front. Against UAE, he bowled three overs inside the PowerPlay for the first time in a T20I since 2016, when he was just starting out for India. He then went on to bowl three inside the first six overs against Pakistan too.

"Till today, we've [mostly] bowled him two overs in the powerplay, he's not bowled three in the powerplay [recently]," captain Suryakumar Yadav said after the Pakistan match. "We're very happy, using him as an attacking option. If he picks two wickets, even if he bowls a tight spell of three overs, later on we can have a good cushion for all the spinners to come over and make our job a little easier."

The idea is not just wickets; it is also preparation. By bowling out more of Bumrah early, India are creating room for Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube to bowl the tougher overs at the back end, an experience that could matter when the T20 World Cup arrives and they decide to play the same combination.

"He's very happy with it [bowling 3 overs upfront]," Suryakumar added. "A few days, if he has to bowl only two overs, he'll bowl only two overs, but at least me and the management want to use him as an attacking option. That gives a good platform to someone like Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube to raise their hand to bowl crucial overs in the end and also in the middle. So we're very happy with that."

Not all of it has gone perfectly. Against Pakistan, Bumrah's three overs went for just 16 runs but also included two sixes from Sahibzada Farhan, the first sixes he had ever conceded to them in T20Is.

That's the balance India are playing with. To use up three of Bumrah's four overs inside the PowerPlay and then back their spinners, Pandya and Dube to finish games off. It is both bold and risky, and the real test of it will come in tighter finishes. India are yet to defend a target in this Asia Cup.

For now, Bumrah has been everywhere: bowling new-ball overs, fielding at point, joking with Dilip, holding India's balance. He is at once their most protected player and the one asked to cover the most ground. A bowler at heart, a catcher at point and the multidimensional piece India keep leaning on.

As he walked out for his fielding session in Dubai, spotting the BCCI cameraman and the reporters gathered around, he laughed and said: "So many cameras?" That moment for him must have been another reminder that he's not just a bowler in the spotlight at point, but at every other point too.