Jasprit Bumrah has hardly put a foot wrong for the past seven weeks. He bamboozled some of the all-time greats during the Super Over he bowled against Gujarat Lions.
He crushed the Kolkata Knight Riders’ top-order in a virtual semifinal when he was handed the new ball for the first time in the IPL’s tenth edition. And then followed it up with a sterling show in the final against Rising Pune Supergiant, accounting for the dangerous M.S. Dhoni and giving Mumbai Indians the upper hand by not letting Steven Smith run away with the game in the 17th and the 19th overs.
No wonder then that Bumrah has eclipsed Lasith Malinga as Mumbai Indians’ death-overs specialist during its IPL campaign. That’s not all. Shane Bond, the MI bowling coach, is confident that Bumrah will soon be a force to reckon with even in Test cricket.
Fulcrum
“We had to twist our bowling attack based on Bumrah’s bowling at the back end. We started to use Malinga in the middle overs in a defensive role and add a leg-spinner to give us the attacking option as well,” said Bond, minutes after the victorious squad arrived in Mumbai.
“When you start to base your attack around a bowler like Jasprit, that shows his quality as well. I think he will definitely play Test cricket and he can be a world-class bowler across all formats.”
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma, who became the first captain to lift three IPL trophies and also achieved a rare distinction of being a part of four IPL triumphs (he was with Deccan Chargers when it won the IPL in 2009), refrained from putting Bumrah under pressure.
“I would prefer not to say that he is the world’s No. 1 bowler or the best bowler. Right now, we all know that he is bowling at his best and I would like him to continue doing that. I don’t want to say anything that would add pressure on him,” said Rohit.
“He knows what his capabilities are and he has shown it throughout the tournament as well. He displayed his talent when he came in and bowled that Super Over probably to the best T20 batters — (Brendon) McCullum and (Aaron) Finch — and defended 11 runs. He definitely has the ability to be the No. 1 bowler, that’s for sure.”
If Bumrah, who headed to Ahmedabad from Hyderabad to spend a couple of nights at home before joining the Champions Trophy squad in Mumbai on Wednesday, can continue in the same vein in England next week, it would boost India’s chances of defending the trophy.
