Team India pacer Jasprit Bumrah made his sensational national return following an 11-month layoff owing to injury. After a comeback in the Ireland T20 series, Bumrah had a fabulous Asia Cup followed by another good tournament in the World Cup. Bumrah had the best economy in the powerplay for bowlers bowling over 20 overs in the first 10 and used his variations, pace and just pure excellence to succeed. Known as one of the world’s best, Bumrah is also famous for his short run-up and despite that he can generate that high pace with that unorthodox action.
Several former pacers including Shoaib Akhtar have given numerous suggestions in the past to Bumrah on how he can avoid injuries by changing his action a bit or increasing his pace but now India’s golden boy, Neeraj Chopra has come up with advice on the same. Having experienced something similar, since he also has to take a run-up before throwing the javelin, Chopra has advised that Bumrah should lengthen his run-up a bit to increase his pace.
Speaking at Indian Express’ Ideas Exchange, Chopra said, “I like Jasprit Bumrah, I find his action unique. I feel he should lengthen his run-up to add more pace. As a javelin thrower, we often discuss how bowlers can increase their pace if they start their run-up from a little further back. I like Bumrah’s style.
Chopra, who was one of the umpteen star attractions present at the World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad, also opened up on India’s heartbreaking loss saying that the now six-time champions Australia had a mental edge from the start. “Maybe, somewhere mentally, the Australian team held an edge at the start. When they bowled, I found they had a strong mindset. In the end, they had completely flipped it over. They were confident about their game,” Chopra added.
Bumrah will next be seen directly in the Test series against South Africa starting December 26.