Steve Smith hails Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar as best death-over bowlers

Steve Smith, the Australian cricket team skipper, has acknowledged that India’s death bowling was the key difference in Australia’s five-wicket loss to Virat Kohli’s side in the third ODI at the Holkar Stadium. (HIGHLIGHTS)

Smith said that the way Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar executed their skills in the death overs dented Australia badly. “India executed their death bowling well. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are the best death bowlers going around. First 38 overs, we were very good with the bat but we could not execute our plans towards the end,’ Smith said.

Australia was in a great position at 234/2. Aaron Finch, making a comeback into the side after missing the first two ODIs, had blasted his eighth century and his 152-run stand with Smith, who chipped in with 63, had given Australia the ideal platform.

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However, Finch and Smith both fell to Kuldeep Yadav and that gave India the opening. Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah bowled with great accuracy and used variations as India gave away just 59 runs. In that period, Australia managed only two fours and a six.

‘Catching needs work’

At 217/4 after 37 overs, India needed 77 off 78. Hardik Pandya was batting on 41. The right-hander looked to attack but he ended up slicing a flighted ball from Ashton Agar to extra cover. The ball swirled in the Indore sky and Smith was settling underneath it but he dropped the catch. It proved to be a costly miss as Pandya smashed 78 to guide India to a five-wicket win.

This was not the first time he has dropped catches in this series. In Chennai, he dropped Rohit Sharma early while in Kolkata, he dropped Ajinkya Rahane.

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The Australian captain admitted that he had to work on his catches. “I was backing myself to take the catch. At the moment, my catching is not all that great. I have been dropping catches in almost all three games so far. I need to work harder with my catching. I need to set the standard,” Smith said.