Jasprit Bumrah was given a new moniker by former India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, who called him a ‘Once-In-A-Generation’ bowler. Bumrah was recently awarded the Player of the Tournament title in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 win in Barbados.
Bumrah picked 15 wickets in 8 games at an economy of 4.17. Jasprit Bumrah is an institution not only in fast bowling but in cricket as a whole. His approach to the game and desire to learn, unlearn, and evolve as a cricketer is outstanding.
Bumrah stands out in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. Throw him the new ball, and he’ll swing it in any configuration. If there are none available, it would only take two or three deliveries for him to devise an alternative strategy.
“I don’t think I have had to do much with him. I would love to say that I’ve worked on him a lot as a bowling coach. What better than Bumrah performing and I taking the credit? But I don’t. I’ve said in the past… he is a once-in-a-generation bowler. India has produced great bowlers, and more will come, but Bumrah is a once-in-a-generation bowler in all three formats,” Paras Mhambrey told Vimal Kumar in an interview.
Mhambrey, who has worked with Bumrah at various levels and saw his rise to fast-bowling stardom, believes his best skill is his ability to assess the game scenario. He is consistently two steps ahead of the batter.
“Be it the red ball, ODI, or T20I, he is No1. He has exceptional skills. He understands how to bowl well, and has clear plans. When I talk to him, I realize that he has a very clear mindset and knows what he is going to do. He understands when a batter is uncomfortable facing him. He then tries to exploit the situation. He will pick up small nuances to guess what the batter is trying to do,” he added.
Bumrah had a remarkable run in the recently concluded T20 World Cup and helped India end the drought of lifting the coveted title.
Jasprit Bumrah is very competitive: Paras Mhambrey
Paras Mhambrey said that Bumrah reads situations very well and is very competitive. It was evident in the way he got India back into the game when they desperately needed a wicket.
When India found themselves in a dire situation in the final against South Africa, Bumrah kept things tight along with Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya to end India’s 13-year-long barren run in the ICC World Cup events.
“He reads the situation. Has control over his skills and wants to win matches for India. He constantly wants to improve. He remember when he was hit four a boundary by someone two years ago. So he is very competitive. So I think, we are lucky that our generation has Bumrah. We have to be very smart in handling and preserving him. He wants to play for long so we have to be very careful with Bumrah,” Mhambrey added.
Mhambrey, whose tenure as India’s bowling coach, ended with the T20 World Cup, said it is best to leave Bumrah alone.
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