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For the first time in many years, the India Cricket Team is enjoying a long break from the game. They played their last game against Sri Lanka early this month. They will host Bangladesh for the two-match Test series and a three-match T20I series next month. Meanwhile, New Zealand Test skipper Tim Southee has praised India pacer Jasprit Bumrah .
The latter was the Player of the Tournament (POTT) during India’s victorious run in the T20 World Cup 2024, played in the USA and the Caribbean Islands. He took 15 wickets in eight games and helped the Men In Blue gain their second T20 World Cup title after 2007. The Gujarat player is the first player in the T20 World Cup history to win the POTT award without scoring a run.
Since the tournament, the 30-year-old hasn’t played a game. After the tournament, the T20I champions played a five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe, three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka and three ODIs against the Lankan Lions. The Mumbai Indians player in the IPL is set to play in the Test series against Bangladesh next month.
Meanwhile, the WTC 2021 winner, Southee has said that Bumrah has been better than before the back injury that kept him out of the game from September 2022 to August 2023. "To be able to firstly bounce back from the major injury and come back, he's even better than what he was beforehand. Throw in on top of that, having to juggle multiple formats, can be difficult at times as well," Southee said on the sidelines of the CEAT Cricket Rating Award on Wednesday.
Jasprit Bumrah is brilliant across formats: Tim Southee
The Black Caps bowler added that Bumrah understands the game more and is at his best in the current era. “He seems to have been able to do that with ease as well. He's probably more experienced, understands his game a bit more. He probably had that time where he was injured to come back and be recharged, refreshed.”
"We are just seeing a great version (of Bumrah) across all three formats. He's brilliant across all three at the moment. I don't think there's anyone better than him, he is tremendous across all three (formats)," said Southee. Tim Southee will lead his side during their India tour in October-November this year. Both teams will play a three-match Test series in India. This series will be part of the WTC cycle 2023-25.
