Bumrah vs Akhtar: Who is the more lethal bowler? Ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra was asked whether former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar was more difficult to face in the past or current Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Chopra gave a clear and surprising answer to this question, which shocked everyone.
Bumrah vs Akhtar: Who is better?
Chopra told a YouTube channel ‘Cracks’, ‘I think Bumrah’. Talking about Bumrah’s statistics, he has so far taken 219 wickets in 48 Test matches, 149 wickets in 89 ODIs, and 89 wickets in 70 T20 Internationals, which shows his ability. At the same time, Shoaib Akhtar took 178 wickets in 46 Tests, 247 wickets in 163 ODIs and 19 wickets in 15 T20 Internationals. Akhtar has been one of the fastest bowlers of his time. He holds the record for bowling the fastest ball in cricket.
Answers to other questions
In the interview, Chopra was asked another question – which batsman he can spend money to watch? To this, he named Indian star batsman Virat Kohli. He told that even though Kohli has retired from T20 International and Test cricket, and now he is only active in his most favorite ODI cricket, but he would still spend money to watch him.
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Jitesh Sharma’s future in Asia Cup
Chopra also made another important guess for Team India ahead of the Asia Cup T20. He said that Jitesh Sharma can be included in the playing-11 in the upcoming Asia Cup. Chopra cited Jitesh’s excellent performance in IPL 2025 and said that his numbers and strike rate have improved a lot, which gives him the highest status in the batting order from number four to seven.
Aakash praised Jitesh
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel, ‘I think Jitesh Sharma will be part of the XI in the Asia Cup. We don’t need to think too much about positions one to three because he won’t get a chance there, but his numbers have improved a lot from four to seven. He has a strike rate of 166 and an average of 28. He is the first batsman to have a strike rate above 150. So when the batting order is ready, he will be at the top. Jitesh Sharma’s numbers have looked the best compared to everyone else. He is shining and looks good at number one. I really hope he has a good Asia Cup.’
Jitesh’s role in RCB’s victory
Jitesh, who has played nine T20 Internationals for India so far. He proved to be a key link in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) IPL 2025 win. He scored 261 runs as a finisher and had a strike rate of 176. These performances helped him regain his place in India’s T20 squad for the Asia Cup, which is to be played in the UAE from September 9 to 28. India will start its campaign with a match against UAE on 10 September. The Indian and Pakistani teams will face each other on 14 September.
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