Jasprit Bumrah, India’s premier fast bowler, has rightfully earned his place among the elite fast bowlers in international cricket. Since his India debut in 2016, Bumrah’s meteoric rise has been nothing short of spectacular, with his lethal combination of pace, accuracy, and a unique bowling action that has baffled even the best in the business.
His ability to consistently deliver yorkers at will, especially during the death overs, has made him a prized asset for India in all formats of the game. With an uncanny knack for exploiting even the slightest weaknesses in a batter’s technique, Bumrah has become a bowler feared by opponents around the world.
But, is there a batter who instils fear in the star Indian pacer? During a public event, the star India pacer was asked if there is any batter across the globe he found particularly challenging to bowl to. Displaying his sharp wit and sportsmanship that has come to define his off-the-field persona, Bumrah tactfully avoided naming a specific batter. His response, nevertheless, drew a massive cheer from the crowd.
“Look I want to give a good answer but the real factor is that I don’t want anyone to take over me in my head because obviously I respect everyone, but in my head I tell myself that if I do my job well, there’s nobody in the world who can stop me,” Bumrah said.
“So I look at myself rather than the opponent so if I think that I have control over everything and if I give myself the best opportunity, everything else will take care of itself rather than giving the power to the batsman that he’ll get the better of me and he’s better than me, so that I don’t want to.”
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Bumrah was one of India’s most important players in the side’s T20 World Cup triumph in June earlier this year. The pacer bowled at an economy rate of just 4.17, which was the lowest among bowlers who bowled more than 20 overs throughout the tournament. He also picked 15 wickets, and was named the player of the tournament for his brilliant outing.
Bumrah has since been away from cricketing action; he was rested for the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this month, but is expected to return to action when India take on Bangladesh in a two-Test series.
