{"id":2795,"date":"2026-10-19T08:37:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T08:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/19\/shastri-backs-veteran-bowlers-urges-careful-use-of-bumrah\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T08:37:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T08:37:57","slug":"shastri-backs-veteran-bowlers-urges-careful-use-of-bumrah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/10\/19\/shastri-backs-veteran-bowlers-urges-careful-use-of-bumrah\/","title":{"rendered":"Shastri backs veteran bowlers, urges careful use of Bumrah for NZ tour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has publicly praised the inclusion of seasoned pacers in the squad for the upcoming New\u202fZealand tour that begins on 22\u202fOctober. Shastri highlighted the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the Twenty\u201120 International (T20I) side and affirmed that Mohammed Shami has earned his place back in both the One\u2011Day International (ODI) and Test line\u2011ups.<\/p>\n<h2>Veteran reinforcements<\/h2>\n<p>Speaking to the <em>Times of India<\/em>, Shastri described Bhuvneshwar\u2019s experience as \u201ca no\u2011brainer\u201d for the conditions expected in New\u202fZealand. He noted that the bowler\u2019s recent form in the Indian Premier League, combined with his long tenure with the national side, makes him ideally suited to the seam\u2011friendly pitches.<\/p>\n<p>Shastri was equally emphatic about Mohammed Shami\u2019s case. The former fast\u2011bowling mainstay, Shastri said, has demonstrated sufficient performance with both the red and white balls to merit selection for the Test and ODI squads.<\/p>\n<h2>Bumrah\u2019s role and workload<\/h2>\n<p>While advocating for the inclusion of experienced campaigners, Shastri cautioned against over\u2011using Jasprit Bumrah across all three formats in the lead\u2011up to the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa. He suggested that Bumrah concentrate primarily on the two\u2011Test series in New\u202fZealand, with only occasional appearances in the limited\u2011overs matches.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think he should play all three formats until the World Cup. He should focus primarily on Test cricket and feature sporadically in ODIs and T20Is,\u201d Shastri said. \u201cI\u2019d rather preserve him for the two Tests in New\u202fZealand, where he\u2019ll be crucial.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The six\u2011week tour, comprising five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests, therefore serves as a crucial benchmark for India\u2019s preparation ahead of the 2027 event. Shastri believes the conditions in New\u202fZealand will mirror aspects of what the side may encounter in South Africa, providing valuable data for team management.<\/p>\n<h2>New Zealand tour stakes<\/h2>\n<p>Beyond individual player considerations, Shastri outlined the broader challenges that the Indian team faces on the tour. He described the series as \u201cimportant\u201d for gauging the direction of Indian cricket, especially with the World Test Championship (WTC) final still out of reach.<\/p>\n<p>According to Shastri, India\u2019s path to the WTC final is steep. The side would need to win roughly 90\u202fpercent of its remaining matches, which includes securing victories in both New\u202fZealand Tests and at least four of the five ODIs against Australia. While not impossible, he warned that the outcome also depends heavily on results elsewhere in the competition.<\/p>\n<p>Shastri expects New\u202fZealand\u2019s pitches, fresh after winter, to favor seam and swing. He highlighted that the ball is likely to move both in the air and off the surface, with wind conditions adding further difficulty. In such an environment, he believes partnerships will be vital, as wickets could fall in clusters.<\/p>\n<p>Test captain Shubman Gill, according to Shastri, faces a \u201cmassive challenge\u201d but is well\u2011placed to handle it. Gill is described as being in \u201cprime form\u201d and historically successful in New\u202fZealand, with a good understanding of local conditions.<\/p>\n<p>On the younger wicket\u2011keeper\u2011batter Rishabh Pant, Shastri\u2019s advice is succinct: be smart, stay aware of the match situation, and play to his natural strengths. He emphasized that Pant should not try to alter his innate game style.<\/p>\n<p>Fielding, however, emerged as Shastri\u2019s biggest concern. He noted a \u201calarmingly\u201d low standard in recent matches and stressed that improvement in this area is essential for success in major tournaments. While consistency in batting and bowling remains important, Shastri warned that fielding deficiencies could undermine India\u2019s chances.<\/p>\n<p>The tour will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV, offering fans the opportunity to follow the action from the first T20I on 22\u202fOctober 2026.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former India coach Ravi Shastri welcomes Bhuvneshwar Kumar\u2019s return, backs Mohammed Shami\u2019s recall and warns that Jasprit Bumrah should not play all formats ahead of the 2027 World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[3096,1739,1390,2724,3095],"class_list":["post-2795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-bhuvneshwar-kumar","tag-india-cricket","tag-jasprit-bumrah","tag-new-zealand-tour","tag-ravi-shastri","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}