Because if you see, his performance in every format remains consistently top-notch, “Jasprit Bumrah,.
When he is in the side, we don’t have to worry about anything–knowing Jasprit still has two overs left gives the confidence that we can comfortably win the match,” Rishi Dhawan told ANI. Former India pacer Rishi Dhawan has backed Jasprit Bumrah as the best fast bowler in international cricket at present, highlighting the speedster’s ability to adapt across formats and consistently deliver at the highest level. He changes and adapts himself exceptionally well, and his performances are always at the highest level.
Dhawan also backed the return of experienced pacer Mohammed Shami to the Indian setup, following Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s comeback in the T20I squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand.
The New Zealand tour starts with five T20Is from October 22 onwards, with five ODIs and two Test matches to follow. Bhuvneshwar, if he gets a chance to play, could play his first international game for India since the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal against England at Adelaide. Since then, Bhuvneshwar has had a resurgence with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), with his 45 wickets in 31 matches at an average of 22.55 and an economy rate of 8.52 helping the franchise to back-to-back titles in 2025 and 2026. Shami last represented India in the 2025 Champions Trophy final and has not featured in a Test match since the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final.
We would definitely love to see him back in the Indian team,” he said. “Yes, absolutely. In whatever domestic cricket he is playing, he is putting in immense hard work. We can see that he is playing full seasons–it’s not like he plays one match and rests the next. He is playing complete seasons and delivering strong performances. Hopefully, the selectors will recognise the need for an experienced, fit fast bowler like him. Despite being out of the national setup, the experienced pacer has continued to feature in domestic and first-class cricket, working towards earning another recall to the Indian team.
Bhuvneshwar earned a Team India call-up after four years as the squad for the five T20Is against New Zealand was announced on Tuesday.
