Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan has said India are relying too much on pacer Jasprit Bumrah and they must find the “right balance” by adding a spinner to their bowling attack in the ongoing T20 World Cup. India suffered a 10-wicket loss in their campaign opener as Pakistan opening batters Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam chased down a 152-run target in 17.5 overs on October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium in UAE.

“The team which concerns me in that regard (bowling) is India. Jasprit Bumrah is a match-winner but they look a bit reliant on him at the moment on the bowling side,” Muralitharan wrote in his column in ICC.

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He said India should include a leg spinner, or maybe Ravichandran Ashwin, to bolster their attack. They can also make Hardik Pandya bowl as the all-rounder 

Muralitharan, who ended his stellar career with 800 Test and 534 ODI wickets, is upbeat about Pakistan’s prospects in the tournament.

“When it comes to the team in the best position though, I think Pakistan are looking good because they have already beaten the two strongest teams in their group in India and New Zealand.

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“They have so much talent, which has always been the case, but like the West Indies, in the past they used to have those off days where they played really badly.”

Pakistan, the 2009 champions, have won all of their three matches so far.

“This team feels different. I am not sure where it has come from but they have momentum and a world-class bowling attack,” the Sri Lankan wrote.

“The batting is built around Babar Azam, who is their one world-class batter, but then there is the experience of Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez who have been playing 15 years of international cricket, as well as some good youngsters. Traditionally they have not been a strong fielding team, but that has changed as well.”

Muralitharan believes the appointment of former Australian opener Matthew Hayden as a batting coach has helped the team immensely.

“The biggest thing for them though, has been the input of Matthew Hayden. He really understands the game from his playing days and it feels like has been a great advisor for the team. That is a big factor in how good they look,” he wrote.

The 49-year-old Sri Lankan also lavished praise on Pakistan’s bowling attack.

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“One thing that has been clear at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 is that the best teams have strong bowling attacks.

“Pakistan have been dangerous because of the pace of Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi. They can bowl at more than 140kmh, bowling yorkers and slower balls.

“The extra pace makes a big difference in these conditions and then it is about the spinners who can stick to a line and length.”

Muralitharan was also impressed with the Afghanistan spin duo of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan, who skittled out Scotland for 60 during their opening match.