"Safest bank for any captain" - Former Indian seamer heaps praise on Jasprit Bumrah after IND vs SA 2025 5th T20I

Former player Irfan Pathan weighed in on Jasprit Bumrah's impact in T20I cricket after India coasted to a series win over South Africa on Friday, December 19. Keeping in mind Bumrah's reliability, Pathan opined that the star bowler is the "safest bank" for any captain due to his ability to stall the opposition's momentum.

Bumrah was the most economical bowler across both sides during the run-fest in Ahmedabad in the fifth T20I. The right-arm speedster recorded figures of 4-0-17-2, notably ending the threatening 51-run stand between Quinton de Kock and Dewald Brevis by dismissing the former for 65.

Speaking in a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel 'Irfan Pathan,' the former player observed that Bumrah utilized a host of variations to excellent effect, highlighting his importance to the team.

"All the bowlers were leaking runs but Jasprit Bumrah gave away only eight in his first. He stops the momentum and does the job of a speed-breaker. He is the safest bank for any captain and can be trusted fully. If you invest, the four overs in the bank are safe," Pathan said. "Around the 11th over, Quinton de Kock is in form and the run-chase is on. But Bumrah dismissed de Kock to underline his importance and show how important he is for India to succeed. He uses the slower balls a lot and he doesn’t let the batter know what variation he will come up with," he added.

During the first T20I, the Ahmedabad-born cricketer had become the second Indian after Arshdeep Singh to take 100 wickets in the format.

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"The planning was spot-on" - Irfan Pathan lauds India's bowling unit in Ahmedabad

Irfan Pathan. (Image Credits: Getty)

In the same video, the 41-year-old claimed that Bumrah also encouraged Arshdeep and Hardik Pandya to deploy variations on the dewy surface. Comparing the percentage of slower balls sent down between India and South Africa, Irfan Pathan said:

"South Africa bowled 22% slower balls but India did it 42%. Hence, India used a lot of variations. A lot of that contribution is down to Jasprit Bumrah. He bowls it but also gets the work done from other bowlers. Arshdeep Singh used the knuckle ball, while Pandya also sent down slower deliveries. Hence, the planning was spot-on. Bumrah showed once again showed that he is the most important player in this side."

The Men in Blue will round off their 2026 T20 World Cup preparations with five T20Is against New Zealand, beginning January 21.

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Edited by Parag Jain