India will need a dash of the good, old Bumrah wizardry

With Shami missing, the supporting cast isn't as stellar but the pacer isn't called a genius for nothing 

- Ashish Magotra

What is Jasprit Bumrah's true worth? It is a question that was asked a lot in the aftermath of the IPL auction. Perhaps, somewhere, it is still being asked.

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc had commanded an astronomical ₹24.75 crore. Pat Cummins, another pacer, had gone for ₹20.50 crore. Harshal Patel, an Indian pacer, went for a cool ₹11.75 crore. Alzarri Joseph, a 27-year-old West Indies pacer, raked in ₹11.50 crore. Good money. But as things stand, Bumrah gets just ₹12 crore from the Mumbai Indians and any layman will tell you that he is priceless. He is the kind of bowler you simply can't put a price on.

And if you need a quick reminder of what he is all about, then the Test series against South Africa which begins on December 26 will serve that purpose well.

Cummins has his moments and his record in Test cricket over the last five years is exceptional (171 wkts at an average of 22.04). But he isn't as consistently good in ODIs and T20Is. Starc can run through line-ups on his day, as shown by his 142 wickets @ 26.47, but he has plenty of off-days too. Kagiso Rabada's levels have dropped from the heady highs but 129 wickets @ 23.08 are proof of his quality.