Having made his debut earlier this year in Australia, Jasprit Bumrah is quite new to international cricket but the pacer has rarely shown the nerves and has become one of India’s bowling mainstays.
In an interview with the India Today, the right-handed pacer said that his journey at the highest level has been good so far.
“It has been a really good journey so far, a great experience. I have learnt with every match that I played, learning from the experienced players and how to go about it. Every youngster dreams of playing for India and I have done that. The ride has been pretty good so far. Let’s hope it continues like this,” Bumrah said.
In such a short career so far, the right-arm pacer has already registered his name in the record books. He now has 28 wickets for India in 21 T20Is in 2016 and he went past former Australia quick Dirk Nannes’ record of taking the highest number of wickets in the shortest format of the game in a calendar year. He is followed by teammate Ravichandran Ashwin (23 wickets) and Bangladesh pacer Al-Amin Hossain (22 wickets).
“Frankly speaking, I never think about the wickets that I have got, the numbers. I just try to contribute to the team’s success. I believe that whenever you think of the outcome, it doesn’t go your way. So, I just try to contribute in every possible way,” said Bumrah.
Records aside, what makes Bumrah so effective is his ability to bowl yorkers and short deliveries at will, something that Indian pacers have traditionally struggled to do consistently.
“It feels good (all the praise on his death bowling skills) but I don’t pay too much attention to it. I have done a lot of death bowling for Mumbai Indians and also for Gujarat. I have a fair bit of idea and experience in that area now. I just try to improve my game, try to stick to my strengths and add new things to my bowling. That is the thing which will give me an advantage in the coming season. I do practice a lot on bowling yorkers and a whole lot of other deliveries in the nets. I repeat the same in a match. I go with a clear plan whenever I play.”
Bumrah has become Dhoni’s go-to man and so when India locked horns against the West Indies in World T20 earlier this year, Dhoni gave the ball to Bumrah against the dangerous Chris Gayle. The bowler repaid the faith shown in him by dismissing Gayle cheaply.
When asked whether that wicket was special, he said: “Not just Gayle’s dismissal but every international wicket is special to me. But my debut match, against Australia, remains the most memorable moment till now. These days in international cricket, the batsmen know everything. I try to practice a lot of deliveries and try to stick to my strength. These are the things that are helping me. A bowler has to keep on inventing ways to get a wicket.