5 reasons why Jasprit Bumrah should be included in the Test squad

Jasprit Bumrah is currently, one of India's most talented pace bowlers. The fast bowler, who came into the reckoning through the IPL, has already left an indelible mark with his ability. Within a span of two years, Jasprit has grown manifold and has emerged to be Virat Kohli's trump card in the limited overs. The 23-year-old is even impressing many greats of the game including Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting, and Sachin Tendulkar among others.

However, Bumrah is yet to make his Test debut for India. There are voices being heard from various quarters asking for Bumrah's inclusion into the Test squad.

So here we give you 5 reasons why Jasprit Bumrah would make a wonderful Test bowler.

#5 Attributes of a champion bowler

Making a debut against the mighty Aussies in their own backyard is certainly not a joke. Bumrah faced the likes of Aaron Finch, David Warner, and Steve Smith on his ODI debut at the SCG. In fact, Bumrah wasn't expecting to play the game. However, he ended up with figures of 2 wickets for 40 runs in his quota of 10 overs. This itself speaks volumes about the youngster's character and mental space.

Jasprit is a quick learner and wears a big heart. Even after getting hit for some runs, he doesn't get bogged down and runs in even harder the next time. He is someone who is usually fit and maintains a calm head even in some crunch situations.

For a 23-year-old, Bumrah doesn't get overly carried away with a breakthrough. These are attributes of some great bowlers the game has seen. If he continues to keep learning and maintain his trademark qualities, Bumrah will reach greater heights even in the whites.

#4 India need to groom youngsters

The 23-year-old has garnered everyone's attention with his talent

Be it Praveen Kumar, or RP Singh, or Vinay Kumar, or even Pankaj Singh, India have a long list of fast bowlers who could make it big at the international arena. Even though they promised a lot initially, they faded out due to inconsistency or fitness issues. This problem of not having a consistent pace attack pestered the Indians on many tours, especially the overseas tours.

However, India have managed to find a consistent pace attack in the last two years or so. The likes of Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have rekindled the hopes and are doing a decent job. But the pace battery needs to be sufficiently backed up. Giving chances to youngsters like Bumrah will not only expose them to red ball cricket but also make them ready for the future overseas tours. These youngsters need to be properly groomed so as to reap the benefits down the line.

#3 Exceptional record in the limited over formats

The right-hander has been highly successful in ODIs and T20Is

Bumrah has been nothing less than brilliant in the limited over formats. Be it the T20s or the one dayers, the fast bowler has troubled the batsmen with his skilful bowling.

In the IPL, Bumrah has been quite phenomenal for the Mumbai Indians. With his knack of picking up wickets, he has been the go to bowler for Rohit Sharma. He has picked up 46 wickets in 47 IPL games so far at a decent economy rate.

Coming to the international games, the lad from Ahmedabad has mighty impressive numbers. He has 41 wickets in the 21 ODIs he played and a superb average of 20.88 runs per wicket. In the T20Is, Bumrah has 33 scalps in 24 games, which is no mean feat.

These numbers should give the selectors enough faith on Bumrah's capabilities. He too will be brimming with confidence given his recent run of form.

#2 Varied arsenal

Bumrah has a bag of tricks to surprise the batsmen

Batsmen generally tend to find it hard to pick bowlers with awkward actions. Be it Paul Adams, or Lasith Malinga, or even Sohail Tanvir, bowlers with an unconventional bowling action have always had an X factor about them. Another entrant into the list is Jasprit Bumrah. With an awkward action, Bumrah can surprise the batsmen with his lively pace. He can hit the high 140s quite consistently and be very useful on the Australian pitches with the new ball.

Bumrah even has other tricks in his bag. He can bowl the in dippers to the right-handers and even shake up the batsmen with his deadly bouncers and short pitched deliveries. Above all, Bumrah needs to be hailed for his art at bowling the yorkers.

Yorkers, somehow still remain underrated in the Test format but can be used to trouble the batsmen at Bumrah's pace and accuracy. His slower balls are hard to pick and can deceive the batsman irrespective of the format.

#1 Potential to be India's main weapon on overseas tours

Bumrah is certainly a bright prospect in Tests for India

We all remember the drubbing handed over to India on the recent tours of England and Australia. The Indian side lacked quality in the bowling department and failed to get the opposition batsmen out. The team's primary attack is in the spin department and the likes of Ashwin and Jadeja had failed to deliver on those pace-friendly pitches.

Pacers like Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron, and Umesh Yadav lacked consistency and couldn't trouble the batsmen. It's a stated fact that to do well in Test matches, a bowling unit must be capable of picking up 20 wickets.

India's next overseas assignment will be against the Proteas in South Africa. The Kohli-led unit will be once again asked questions in seam-friendly conditions. Bumrah's inclusion can prove to be team India's X factor. He can wreak havoc with the red ball in those conditions. He can exploit the African pitches to get carry and bounce to trouble the batsmen with his already well-developed skills.

Bumrah can even prove to be a mighty force on the English and the Australian pitches. With age on his side, he can go a long way by continuous enhancement of his skills.