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Ravi Shastri was ready to put his money on pacer Jasprit Bumrah being an all-format bowler so much that he even told captain Virat Kohli and the selectors not to reveal him before the South Africa tour in 2018.

When Jasprit Bumrah with an unorthodox bowling action burst onto the scene in the cash-rich IPL playing for Mumbai Indians in 2013, very few believed he could make it big at the international level. Those who predicted he would gain stardom were only vouching for Jasprit Bumrah’s white-ball skills.

Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli PTI Photo by Shashank Parade (PTI11_21_2014_000176B)

Ravi Shastri Told Virat Kohli And Selectors Not To Unleash Jasprit Bumrah In Tests Before 2018 Cape Town Test Against South Africa

There was hardly anyone willing to put their weight behind Jasprit Bumrah as the Test cricketer apart from India head coach Ravi Shastri who vouched to include Jasprit Bumrah in Tests. After making his limited-overs ODI and T20I debuts in Australia in 2016, pacer Jasprit Bumrah quickly built a reputation of being a bankable seam bowler. It was Ravi Shastri who insisted not to ‘unleash’ Jasprit Bumrah on Indian pitches in Test cricket.

“No one believed Jasprit Bumrah could play Test cricket. He was a white-ball bowler. But when I took over as coach I asked myself: ‘How do I take 20 wickets overseas?’ said Ravi Shastri.

Jasprit Bumrah (Photo by PETER PARKS / AFP)

“I knew I needed four great fast bowlers because I had played so much Test cricket against the West Indies. It started in South Africa in 2018 and we lost that fantastic series 2-1. I wanted to unleash Bumrah in that first Test in Cape Town. I bounced the idea off Virat months before and told the selectors: ‘Do not unleash him in India. I don’t want the world to see him in Test cricket before Cape Town.’ That was three years ago. Since then he’s taken 101 wickets [in 24 Tests]. It’s remarkable,” Ravi Shastri said.

Jasprit Bumrah was an instant success in his first Test appearance in Cape Town. His delivery to Proteas batsman AB de Villiers that found the gap between his bat and pad had a stamp of class and authority. Since then, the right-arm seamer has never looked back.

In his three years at the Test level, Jasprit Bumrah has proved coach Ravi Shastri right and all his doubters wrong.

During the recent Test series in England, he was India’s most impressive seamer and even went on to become the fastest Indian pace bowler to reach 100 Test wickets.

Before his achievement, Kapil Dev held the record, getting to the feat in 25 Tests, but the World Cup-winning captain’s record was bettered by Jasprit Bumrah, who picked up his 100th Test scalp in his 24th game. He has picked 6 five-wicket hauls and his career-best figure is 6/27 and his career average is 22.79 which is quite impressive.

Jasprit Bumrah Will Ply His Trade For The Mumbai Indians In IPL 2021 UAE Leg

Jasprit Bumrah, who will ply his trade for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021 resuming on Sunday at the UAE, had major roles to play in India’s historic back-to-back Test series wins in Australia in 2018-19 and then in 2020-21.

Ravi Shastri said that India had the upper hand in the series when he was asked about the outcome of the England series which is still undecided as the fifth Test was cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns in the Indian camp.

“I think so because you are playing overseas and you’re ahead with one game to go. Look at the first Test [India were 52 for one and chasing 209 when the rain ruined the final day]. We would have knocked off those runs, definitely. It could have easily been 3-1. Then no one would have cared for the last Test,” Ravi Shastri added.

Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best bowlers in recent times in the world at the moment and he showed his class in the recently concluded red-ball Test series against England. He finished as the highest wicket-taker for India in the four Tests and picked up 18 wickets. In his prime form, Jasprit Bumrah has been one of the match-winners for the Mumbai Indians and has bowled splendidly in the India leg of IPL 2021 as well.

The right-arm quick was superb in the previous edition of IPL 2020 held entirely in UAE too by being the 2nd highest wicket-taker and he enjoyed the conditions really well. He used the pace of the wickets to his advantage and executed the yorkers to perfection. In the first leg of IPL 2021, the right-arm pacer with an unorthodox action scalped 6 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 32 and an economy of 7.11. In the previous season in IPL 2020, he picked 27 scalps in 15 games averaging an awesome 14.96.