NZ v India: Pressure on Jasprit Bumrah after worst T20 performance in four years

India pacer went for 62 runs from his five overs, including the super over, in the third match in Hamilton

India’s Rohit Sharma, centre, with teammates after hitting the last ball for a six in the super over against New Zealand in the Hamilton T20 seal series victory on Wednesday. AFP

Rohit Sharma hit the last two balls of the super over for sixes to secure victory in the super over against New Zealand in the Hamilton T20. Getty Images

Virat Kohli celebrates the wicket of Ross Taylor of New Zealand that sent the Hamilton T20 into super over at Seddon Park on Wednesday. Getty Images

New Zealand’s Colin Munro after getting stumped during the third T20 against India at Seddon Park in Hamilton. AFP

Kane Williamson almost secured victory for New Zealand with his knock of 95. Getty Images

Kane Williamson survives a stumping attempt from KL Rahul in Hamilton. Getty Images

India’s Jasprit Bumrah had a poor day with the ball during the third T20 at Seddon Park. AFP

Ravindra Jadeja, centre, and Shreyas Iyer celebrate the wicket of New Zealand’s Colin Munro. AFP

Kane Williamson led a one-man batting charge for New Zealand in Hamilton. Getty Images)

Rohit Sharma during the T20 against New Zealand in Hamilton on Wednesday. AP

Rohit Sharma scored a fifty in the first innings and secured victory in the super over at Seddon Park in Hamilton. AFP

Shreyas Iyer of India is stumped by Tim Seifert in Hamilton. Getty Images

New Zealand’s Tim Southee takes the catch to dismiss Rohit Sharma. AFP

India took an unassailable lead in the five-match T20 series against New Zealand by winning the third game in Hamilton after a super over thriller.

While the spotlight was on the superb 20th over bowled by Mohammed Shami and the successive sixes hit by Rohit Sharma off the final two balls that secured victory, the performance of pace ace Jasprit Bumrah stuck out like a sore thumb.

Bumrah went for 45 runs from his four overs and in the super over, which he was surprisingly handed, he was blasted for 17 runs. It was Bumrah's worst bowling performance in a T20 Internationals in four years – he conceded 40 runs or more on three occasions in 2016 – and his second most expensive bowling figures ever.

But if we add his super over stats – which are not part of international record – to his match stats, it turns into one of the worst performances ever by Bumrah in white-ball cricket.

Safe to say, it was all down to one man – Kane Williamson. The Kiwi captain found a way to negate the threat of Bumrah, who was also struggling for control. Bumrah missed his yorkers by a long way on a consistent basis on Tuesday and Williamson made him pay for it.

In the 17th over of the chase, Williamson smashed Bumrah for three successive fours to all but end the contest just as pressure was mounting. Then in the super over, Bumrah was hit for a six over fine leg and a four over covers off successive balls by the hosts' captain.

Throughout his five overs, Bumrah – who has mastered the art of bowling pin-point yorkers almost at will – bowled numerous full tosses and lost his radar by the end of the match.

Former India opener Virender Sehwag said it was a mistake to give the super over to Bumrah as he was having a bad day. Remember, he has just returned from a serious back injury and that too sooner than expected.

Williamson routinely walked to the off side to flick Bumrah over the leg side, something that would not have been possible if the Indian pacer was at his best.

The onus is now on Bumrah to get his act together in the fourth T20 in Wellington on Friday, now that the series is in the bag. Expect a bit more pace and venom in his bowling.