Jasprit Bumrah’s meteoric rise is well documented. His man of action and build, at first glance, comes across as a bowler who bowls at the best military pace. However, he is nothing but your typical medium-pacer which the Indian team is known to produce quite a bit.
An unconventional – slingy – action makes Bumrah an instant attraction. And one look at his bowling record is surprising. A bowler by his nature is an innovation, generating curiosity and causing discomfort to the batsmen in the beginning. However, once decoded or familiarized, the challenge becomes difficult and perhaps even more difficult to maintain. Bowlers with better, repetitive action are dead. But Bumrah has been cut with a different cloth.
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He generated collective curiosity in the cricketing world when he made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2013 and perhaps even a little admonition from fans for his wild celebration after dismissing a certain Virat Kohli in his very first over. That kid—19 years old—has matured into a world-class orator today, admired and diversified for his craft.
His rapid rise in international cricket is not a matter of happiness. Even when others had confidence in his future greatness, self-doubt was high. There was disappointment at the chance not getting in his way. He also had plans to move his base overseas and start a life far away from cricket after the seeds of disillusionment were sown in his mind. But to his credit, the boy from Ahmedabad fought hard and when the opportunity fell, he made it count.
Almost five years after his IPL debut, Bumrah was in the run-up to his Test debut in Cape Town, South Africa. He had already played a lot of white-ball cricket for India including the 2016 T20 World Cup. And battling a knee injury in the middle to make a successful return to first-class cricket, which cemented his belief in himself.
Bumrah did not wait long for his maiden Test wicket in Cape Town. An inside edge guided the ball to the stumps and became his first wicket in the AB de Villiers format. He took his maiden half-centuries to win the match by four in the first Test, three in the second and seven in the third competition in Johannesburg.
Since then, the 28-year-old has taken 107 wickets in 26 Tests at an average of 23.24, including six five-wicket hauls. He has toured England, Australia, Caribbean Islands, New Zealand and has taken wickets everywhere. Conditions don’t matter to him. His action, ability to swing both ways, yorker making skills with unrealistic consistency and an average bouncer make him a complete package and a captain’s dream.
In Kingston, he became the third Indian bowler to achieve a Test hat-trick. In Melbourne, in the 2018 Boxing Day Test, his match-haul of 9/86 led India to a famous victory.
The current tour of South Africa so far has been a mixed one for him. In Centurion, he was excellent. He went missing in Johannesburg. Cape Town, the venue of the third and final Test and also the series-decider, holds an important place in his career, where Bumrah, the Test bowler, took his first steps. And he would like to broadcast those memories to silence his critics.
The picture hasn’t been completely rosy though. Doubts are being repeatedly raised about his longevity. Bumrah’s unusual action has been his greatest strength but has also been a source of suspicion for many including Michael Holding, who feels it may have hurt him.
There seems to be some truth behind this claim. In 2019, Bumrah was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back. There were conflicting opinions. A former India physio suggested the bowler to modify his action. Ashish Nehra has ruled out any connection between his action and stress fracture. Whatever the reason, that issue resulted in Bumrah missing out on three consecutive international series during his rehabilitation.
Though there hasn’t been a major setback since his stress fracture, it is an undeniable fact that Bumrah or any other cricketer who is an all-format star needs workload management. The Indian Cricket Board has also started taking note of this and has taken steps to ensure that the players do not suffer mentally or physically.
The life of a fast bowler is thrilling but full of dangers. And Bumrah, a rare gem, needs to be handled with care. Indian cricket in particular and world cricket in general will be more prosperous for it.
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