The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final loss to Pakistan was an affair which didn’t go down too well with India. The side had lost miserably to its arch rivals, and there was a whole flurry of emotions against the team.
To a large extent, pacer Jasprit Bumrah was blamed for the loss, as his no ball wicket turned out to be decisive. A couple of months later, there was redemption for the talented pacer, as he led India’s onslaught with the ball in the emerald isles of Sri Lanka. Picking a record 17 wickets, the most for a pacer in a bilateral series, Bumrah was simply fantastic at all stages of the game. Be it with the new ball or at the death, Bumrah found a way to pick up a wicket time and again.
With an average of just over 11 in the series, Bumrah was named the Man of the Series. At the presentation, he made an incredibly valid point, when he mentioned that playing Test cricket was his ultimate dream.
“It’s always a dream,” said Bumrah, about representing India in Test matches. “Hopefully when I get my chance, I would want to do well. I got a good break before the series. I was fresh to come into the series.”
Bumrah admitted that the guidance he received from his mentor Lasith Malinga during the IPL years had helped him to an enormous extent.
“It has been a long journey with Malinga,” he added. “I will continue to learn with him. I am not thinking about that. I am just trying to become a better bowler,” Bumrah said.