Shielding the spearhead: Resting Jasprit Bumrah key to India's T20 World Cup defence

As New Zealand have announced their squads for the white-ball series against India, all eyes are now on the BCCI's senior men's selection committee as it is yet to name India's squad for the three-match ODI series, starting January 11.

The series against the Blackcaps is another one in India's jam-packed cricketing calendar. While the team management has been managing Jasprit Bumrah's workload smartly, it needs to preserve him for their T20 World Cup defence rather than unleashing him in a low-stakes battle.

A complete T20I enforcer

Bumrah has an unparalleled record in T20Is. He has an economy rate of 6.26 in the powerplay, which drops down to 5.98 in the middle overs. At 6.85 runs per over, Bumrah proves to be a nightmare for batters looking to press the accelerator at the death.

He has a career economy rate of 6.39 - the best among India players with a minimum of 50 wickets in the shortest format of the game. India's bowling attack looks vulnerable in the absence of Bumrah, as none of the other bowlers boast the kind of numbers India's pace spearhead does.

While the other members of India's pace battery, Hardik Pandya (101 wickets at 8.29), Arshdeep Singh (110 wickets at 8.40), and Harshit Rana (7 wickets at 10.17) are exceptional, they are no match to Bumrah's finesse.

A firm outer layer with a vulnerable underside

While Bumrah is the kind you don't see often, he has durability concerns and therefore needs to be managed judiciously by the team management. He bowled 24 overs in the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata and had to send down 38 in Guwahati as India lost the series 2-0. 

Though he was rested for the ODI series, he played three of the five T20Is, including the series decider in Ahmedabad. Risking Bumrah in the ODI series against the Kiwis in the 50-over format could be a dangerous gamble, something that was the case earlier this year.

Playing his 5th Test on the trot during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, Bumrah suffered back spasms and could only make his way back to competitive cricket in April with the IPL after three months out injured.

Here's a timeline of Bumrah's injuries:

• Injury: Fractured left thumb
  When: India's tour of Ireland & England 2018 (June to September)
  Recovery time: Three weeks

• Injury: Lower back stress fracture 
  When: September 2019
  Recovery time: Three months

• Injury: Abdominal strain
  When: India's tour of Australia 2020-21 (January)
  Recovery time: Little over two weeks

• Injury: Back 
  When: September 2022
  Recovery time: Nine months 

• Injury: Back
  When: January 2025
  Recovery time: Three months

The man who delivered in 2024 could define 2026 too

Eight games, 15 wickets, an average of 8.26, and an economy rate of just 4.17, Bumrah registered surreal numbers at the previous edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Whether it was outfoxing a well-set Mohammad Rizwan during the group stage, Phil Salt in the semis, and Marco Jansen in the summit clash, Bumrah delivered every time he was asked to and helped India secure the World Cup crown.

Having done it before, Bumrah knows what it takes to rise when the pressure mounts and the Men in Blue need him primed and raring to go once India's title defence gets underway on February 7 in Mumbai.