India’s big defeat to South Africa in the second T20 match has raised some serious questions on the team’s bowling and former Indian batsman Mohammad Kaif has openly expressed his concerns. Kaif was really disappointed with Jasprit Bumrah’s performance during India’s massive 51-run defeat in the second T20I in Mullanpur.
In the second T20 match on 11 December, South Africa, batting first, scored a huge score of 213 runs against India. When India set out to chase the target, things really did not go their way and the team was bowled out for 162 runs. Analyzing the defeat, Kaif directly pointed fingers at Bumrah.
Mohammad Kaif pointed out worrying flaws in Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling.
Top Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah had a tough performance conceding 45 runs in his four overs. And Caid said the main issue was Bumrah’s execution. The former Indian batsman has pointed out that many of the yorkers that Bumrah tried to bowl ended up as full tosses at Mullanpur.
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These mistakes were costly, as many of them were hit for sixes, and Kaif said that South Africa’s new batsmen, including Donovan Ferreira, were also able to attack Jasprit Bumrah with confidence. Over the past few months, Kaif feels that many batsmen have managed to dominate Bumrah, and that is not a good sign at all for the Men in Blue.
Big question mark on Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling: Mohammad Kaif
The cricket pundit further explained that there is no problem if a batsman hits a six off a good ball, as it can happen to any bowler, but the real concern is when the bowler is unable to catch the balls he is aiming for.
Mohammad Kaif said in a video posted on his YouTube channel, “Even the new South African batsman like Donovan Ferreira, who doesn’t have a big reputation, was hitting him. In the last few months, a lot of batsmen have come on to him. There is no problem if someone hits a six on a good ball; it happens, but the problem is that the ball he wants to bowl is not falling. It is a big question mark on Bumrah’s bowling at the moment.”
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Mohammad Kaif expresses concern over Jasprit Bumrah’s struggle with yorkers ahead of ICC T20 World Cup 2026
With the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 just a few months away and India set to play only 8 T20Is before the tournament, Kaif said the lack of control is worrying. He admitted that Jasprit Bumrah is a great bowler, but he has rarely seen him miss yorkers so many times in a single match.
Kaif further said, “I was disappointed. And it is worrying because the World Cup is coming in about a month. Of the six or seven balls he tried, all of them turned into full tosses. Some of those full toss balls went for six. In my opinion, the way he bowled yesterday, missing the yorkers, is a matter of concern. He is a great bowler, but I have never seen him make so many mistakes.”
If we look at Bumrah’s statistics in 2025, this fast bowler has played 12 T20 matches so far and has taken 12 wickets in 10 innings. His average is 23, strike rate is 18.5 and economy rate is 7.42. These figures are respectable, but they do not reflect the impact that Bumrah is usually known for.
