T20 World Cup: Team India's pace conundrum

Who will play lead role in T20 World Cup if Bumrah is absent?THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If you had watched the first 20 minutes of the India-SA T20 match here at the Greenfield stadium on Wednesday, you would have felt that a Test match was on in coloured clothing under lights. Arshdeep Singh (3/32) and Deepak Chahar (2/24) swung the ball like swing masters in English conditions. And with Harshal Patel (2/26) complementing the efforts of the new-ball duo, the Indian pace attack looked a potent force as it set up an easy Indian win.

Read AlsoJasprit Bumrah likely to miss T20 World Cup

India's T20 World Cup hopes suffered a big blow on Wednesday with pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah's back injury resurfacing in a big way, which is likely to force him to skip the marquee event in Australia in October.

However, it would be foolhardy to expect such conditions in the T20 World Cup in Australia. While the team management would be pleased with the way the young Indian pace attack exploited the conditions, they know they can't get carried away. The pitches for the T20 World Cup are not expected to swing and seam as much as it did on Wednesday. The tracks in Australia may favour batsmen while offering pace and bounce to the fast bowlers. It will pose a different challenge to the Indian seam attack. The news of Jasprit Bumrah getting ‘ruled out' of the World Cup with a stress fracture has come as a huge blow to India's chances and getting the fast bowling combination right in his absence will be critical. In Bumrah's absence, Bhuvneshwar will be the senior pro who may be asked to lead the pace attack Down Under. Bhuvneshwar, who has taken a much-needed break from the South African series, has been under scrutiny of late due to his poor bowling