In Bumrah's absence, Bhuvneshwar finds unique way to perfect yorkers
Jasprit Bumrah is India's resident yorker specialist but in absence of the Gujarat speedster, the team management has entrusted his new ball partner and death-over specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar to fire in the toe-crushers at the Australian batsmen.
Buvneshwar was seen bowling in the nets keeping a shoe at the base of the stumps in order to perfect his yorker ahead of the 2nd ODI in Adelaide.
The UP seamer, who rarely bowls yorker like Bumrah, is trying to add the delivery in his repertoire in order to avoid getting hit in the slog overs.
"The skills (required to bowl yorkers) are also different. I was practising bowling yorkers at the shoes, and I was practising for the end (slog) overs to take wickets or block some runs. This (keeping shoes on the pitch) is something that I have been doing for some time," Bhuvneshwar told media persons on the eve of the second ODI.
The seamer said that he wasn't practising yorkers as he wasn't playing Test matches and also because the delivery is rarely used in the longest format.
"I didn't practice that for almost a month now because in Tests, we hardly needed that. And I didn't play a match. Going into an ODI or T20I series, you need that (yorker) thing. So I was practising that," he said.
The yorker becomes all the more necessary in the death as blockhole deliveries or slower ones work with old balls (two new balls being used in ODIs).
"The skills needed are totally different (with new and old balls). You are trying to swing the new ball and take wickets. With the old ball, you are looking to bowl yorkers or slower balls. But they are both difficult.
"When you are bowling with a new-ball, there are only two fielders outside the circle. With the old-ball, batsmen don't care how many guys are outside the circle.
Bhuvneshwar leaked plenty of runs in the 1st ODI against Australia where he ended with figures of 2/66. The Men in Blue will aim to bounce back in Adelaide and level the series.
