Former Indian Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara reckons seamers have to do the job if India are to win the 2027 World Cup. Indian fast bowlers took a beating in the final ODI against England at Lord’s as the visitors conceded 387 runs.
The pace quartet of Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna conceded 326 runs in 40 overs they bowled. Brar was taken to the cleaners as he was taken for 97 runs in his quota of 10 overs.
Thus, in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out with a knee injury, India’s bowling line-up looked toothless.
Pujara said on Star Sports, “There are a lot of learnings from this series for the Indian seamers. They’ll have to learn a lot because when Bumrah was around, the bowling attack was looking different. The seamers have to do the job if India are to win the 2027 World Cup. Some of the young fast bowlers will learn their lessons from this series. India also need an all-rounder and it’s important for them to figure out who that’ll be for the World Cup.”
However, India’s former number three batter praised the Indian batters for their valiant effort in the second innings.
He added, “If the Indian bowlers had restricted England below 350, it was still gettable. But 387 was a little too much. However, credit goes to the Indian batters for the way they played. They looked in complete control and followed what England did in the powerplay. Till the 40th over, India was in the run-chase.”
On the other hand, Pujara praised Rohit Sharma, who scored a stunning knock of 138 runs off 110 balls. Pujara said Rohit didn’t show any pressure despite the outside noise.
“There was a lot of outside noise. But credit goes to him for the way he handled himself. There was no pressure when you look at his facial expression and body language. Ofcourse he took his time, but once he was set, he started accelerating. And the way he accelerated, tells you all about his character, temperament and mental toughness, because of which he has achieved lot of success,” said Pujara (via the aforementioned source).
“It was a big moment even though Rohit has scored a lot of runs in ODIs. Because of the outside noise, this knock was special as he was under pressure. Once he was set, it looked like a completely different Rohit Sharma, back in form. This will take him a long way, looking at the 2027 World Cup.”
Rohit would look to carry his good form against the West Indies in the next series.
