Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel believes the team needs to make just one change in the playing 11 — Jasprit Bumrah returning in place of Mohammed Siraj — for the second match in the 2026 T20 World Cup against Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.
Bumrah missed the first match due to illness. On Tuesday, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said the ace quick would return to bowling after a ten-day hiatus.
“Bumrah walks in place of Mohammed Siraj. Siraj had a good game, but India’s main playing eleven had Jasprit Bumrah in it,” Patel said on JioStar’s ‘Game Plan’. “It is good that Siraj got an opportunity and did really well. If something happens to any of India’s seamers, which we certainly do not wish for, Mohammed Siraj will
be ready. However, he will make way for Jasprit Bumrah if Bumrah is fit.”
Siraj would feel hard done by it, considering he took three wickets against the USA in the first match, but has always been behind in the pecking order. He came in as the replacement for Harshit Rana, who picked up a serious injury in the pre-tournament warmup.
Patel said that the fact that Siraj was not considered ahead of Rana must have fueled his performance in the first game too.
“Mohammed Siraj is someone who likes the big stage and the limelight,” Patel said. “There was also a point to prove, as Harshit Rana was playing ahead of him. He got his opportunity, unfortunately, due to Harshit Rana’s injury. He has been playing a lot of Ranji Trophy cricket and red-ball cricket. The six-to-eight-metre length is wonderful in white-ball cricket. His first ball, however, was a bit fuller, more of a typical four-day length, where you are trying to swing the ball. But he understood quickly and pulled his length back. Then he got the swing and variation going. Sixty-eight per cent of his deliveries were in the six-to-eight-metre range, a length that creates problems for any batter.”
There could be, of course, more changes than just Bumrah’s return. Since this show, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan have emerged as doubtful starters due to illness and injury.
Watch India’s bid to repeat history at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026, as India take on Namibia today, 7:00 PM onwards, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.
