Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has explained why Jasprit Bumrah, the country’s premier fast bowler, was primarily used in the powerplay rather than the death overs during the recent Asia Cup. Many were left surprised when Bumrah bowled three of his four overs early in the innings, but Gambhir explained that the move was part of a broader strategy to make India an all-round aggressive team, not just with the bat, but in every aspect of the game.

Gambhir noted that people often view the T20 team as having a highly attacking batting lineup. However, he aimed for India to be recognised as an aggressive team overall, including in their bowling. Using Bumrah heavily at the start was a bold, attacking tactic designed to help India dominate opponents from the very first over.

"A lot of people relate to this T20 side as a very aggressive batting lineup. For me I think bowling Jassi 3 [overs] in the first six was an even more aggressive option with the ball. We don't want to be a side which is only known as an aggressive batting order, we want to be a side which should be known as an aggressive side overall," Gambhir said in an interview with the BCCI.

Gambhir explained that the plan was to test this new strategy in the Asia Cup and observe how it performed in real match situations. Bumrah took seven wickets in five games at an economy rate of 7.43, but Gambhir emphasised that his main contribution was setting the tone early and giving India early control inf the match.

"We wanted to go that way as well (Bumrah bowling three in powerplay), we wanted to see how it pans out, we wanted to see where it takes us in future as well, and I thought that Asia Cup, it has really worked well for us, because bowling Jassi in the first three obviously makes us win the powerplay most of the time," said Gambhir.

Notably, Bumrah is set to return to action in the upcoming Test series against South Africa, starting Friday at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.