Team India has seen an exponential growth in its pace bowling department over the past three years with the likes of Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav leading the attack and young guns such as Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Siraj also in the reserves.
India’s bowlers have shaped the bowling department into one of the finest bowling units in the present era and arguably the best India has ever had. With such depth in the attack, former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt has been left impressed particularly with one bowler and that is Jasprit Bumrah.
Since his red-ball debut in 2018, the pacer with an unorthodox action has been the fastest to 50 Test wickets for India and also has a hat-trick to his name. The 27-year old has been garnering praise from all corners of the world with former West Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose being one of the latest additions to that. He foresees Bumrah reaching the landmark of 400 Test wickets provided his fitness is maintained.
A while ago, former New Zealand all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee had also opined on a few ways to utilise Bumrah in the best manner possible. Butt even compared him to a few exotic cars to show that he is different from the rest.
He said on his YouTube channel, “In simple words, he is not a Toyota or a Corolla. Bowlers like him are of the caliber of Ferrari, Lamborghini… the big end cars, the special event cars. With such bowlers, you need to ensure you use them judiciously. With him, you have to select the occasions and conditions properly. And when you do that, you increase your timeline with him. The more he is used in valuable matches, the better output he will give. Bumrah is unique and at the moment, he is one of the best.”
Butt even compared Bumrah to Pakistani greats Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram. He went on to emphasise his importance by saying, “Bumrah is the one the captain turns to. If you look at Rohit Sharma, he mostly makes him bowl one over at the beginning and saves him for the last six overs. Why? Because the captain trusts him that if the opposition needs to get 30-40 off them, in Bumrah’s over, he won’t let you get the runs and pick up wickets too.”
“His worth in the Indian team is what Wasim and Waqar’s was for Pakistan. They did not allow 30-40 runs to be scored with five wickets remaining. They would get them out. Bumrah has that quality what wins India matches in the end; his dot ball percentage is great, has great control over his yorkers. He can deceive in his action, slower ball and the quick bouncer. He is a priceless asset for his team and captain.” Butt added.
Bumrah has been an asset for the Indian team and he is bowling over not only the opposition players, but also fans and experts alike.
Featured image : AFP / Aamir Qureshi
