IND vs NZ 2026: ‘Bumrah doesn’t have one stock ball, he has a whole set’ - Parthiv Patel on why batters struggle against premium pacer

Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel spoke about Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s ferocious three-wicket haul in the third T20I against New Zealand, stating that the fast-bowling spearhead of the Men in Blue possesses a wide range of stock deliveries, making it extremely difficult for batters to settle at the crease.

The right-arm pacer, who is on the verge of becoming the eighth Indian bowler to claim 500 international wickets, once again showcased his immense class. Bumrah rattled the stumps of Tim

Seifert and Kyle Jamieson and later had skipper Mitchell Santner caught in the deep, finishing his spell with figures of 3 for 17 in four overs. Parthiv noted that while batters can usually predict a bowler’s lengths and go-to deliveries, that element of guesswork is virtually impossible when facing Bumrah.

“As a batter, you can sometimes guess what a bowler will do. You know their usual length and their go-to ball. But with Jasprit Bumrah, his quality is that his go-to ball could be a slower one, a bouncer, a yorker, or a great length ball. That is why batters struggle against him. He does not have just one stock ball, he has a whole set of them. That is why you cannot set yourself against him,” said Parthiv on the JioStar show ‘Game Plan’.

Currently, Bumrah is just 11 wickets away from reaching the coveted 500-wicket milestone in international cricket. In T20Is, the Indian pacer has claimed 106 wickets in 85 matches at an impressive average of 18.09 and an economy rate of 6.40, with his best figures being 3 for 7.

Bumrah was rested for the second T20I earlier in the series, a decision that drew criticism from former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif. Kaif did not hold back while questioning the Gautam Gambhir-led Indian team management for resting their premier fast bowler in a crucial match of the series.

“Rest for what? What workload? Did he just come back after playing a lot? He has already come after taking proper rest. No, no, this thing just doesn’t make sense to me. If you want to give rest, give rest to Arshdeep Singh. If you want to bring in Harshit Rana, if Axar Patel is injured and you need batting at number eight, then rest Arshdeep and bring in Bumrah. I mean, why are we even comparing here? There is no comparison at all," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.