Bumrah is preparing for the T20 series against Afghanistan. | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar.
In this year’s IPL, Vaibhav Suryavanshi left jaws on the floor when he casually sent Jasprit Bumrah into midfield for a six off the first ball he faced from the ace pacer.
The lights at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday offered another glimpse of the box office duel between a precocious teenager and a seasoned cameraman. It was just practice for the Indian team ahead of the first T20I against Afghanistan on Sunday, but the intensity of the battle was nonetheless mesmerizing. Suryavanshi and Bumrah have not played together for India yet.
On Friday evening, Suoryavanshi had to be carefully measured as Bumrah hit him across the straps and tested the young left-hander with the lengths he found. The 32-year-old bowled Sooryavanshi on one over a good length peach and also bowled his yorkers most of the time. However, Suryavanshi was unfazed as he later unleashed a delightful back-foot strike.
For Bumrah, it was mostly about finding his way after being laid off due to injury. He injured his left knee during the ODI series against England in July and was unable to recover for the recent Test series against Sri Lanka. He played in the nets for almost 45 minutes.
The entire squad of 15 people attended the training. After light rain, India was in high spirits and began an elaborate field exercise. Fielding coach Subhadeep Ghosh, who took over from T Dilip in August, has been encouraging the players with the enthusiasm of the recent recruitment, flat and high catches as well as ground fielding have been strictly practiced.
If the greater emphasis on fielding seems noticeable, it may have something to do with India’s sloppiness during the tour of the United Kingdom in June-July. Several catches were dropped as Shreyas Iyer and company suffered series defeats against Ireland and England.
Published – September 11, 2026 9:35 pm EST.