IND v SA | I expect Jasprit Bumrah to do well in Indian conditions as well, says Ajit Agarkar

Ever since his Test debut against the Proteas in January 2018, Bumrah has come leaps and bounds in his red-ball career. He has featured in 12 Test matches so far, picking up 62 wickets at an average of 19.24 and has already become the No.3 ranked bowler in the format. However, all his match experience in the longest format of the game has come in foreign conditions, where the pitches have a natural inclination to lend the faster bowlers a helping hand. So when he steps up against South Africa on home soil, the Indian cricketing fraternity is keen to see if the 25-year-old can deliver on batting paradises as well. 

"With experience, everyone can see what progress he has made in international cricket. I expect him to do well in India as well. Obviously, there will be times when the spinners will dominate in the series. However, with the kind of unique ability he possesses, I don't think conditions matter to him. He has the skill-set to perform in Indian conditions as well," Agarkar told IANS, reported TOI.

Agarkar, now 41, based his argument on the fact that Bumrah has played enough red-ball cricket in home conditions at the first-class level. The Mumbaikar has featured in 38 First-Class and 83 List-A matches, claiming 151 and 155 wickets respectively. 

"A lot of people tend to forget that Bumrah played quite a lot of first-class cricket before he played for India. He has bowled in these conditions with the SG ball. He knows what to do," Agarkar said.

When he showed up in the Caribbean after being rested for the limited-over matches, Bumrah proved to be a nightmare of all sorts for the Windies with 13 wickets in the two Tests. Indian cricket fans – and lovers of fast bowling, in general – will wait in anticipation that he will repeat, maybe even improve, his performances when he returns after resting through the T20 series.

"Since the World Cup, he hasn't played a lot of cricket. He missed (rested) the T20Is and the ODIs and featured in the two Test matches. So, he must be relatively fresh and will be very keen to perform in India as well. I would not be surprised if he has an exceptional series," Agarkar added.