Jasprit Bumrah

                Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah!

`        This is one name that sends shivers down the spines of the batsmen all around the world. But, there is one good news for you if you are an Indian. If you are selected to team India in any format of the game, you never need to face this marauder. You can stand comfortably on the field and watch the stumps dancing to his tune. Undoubtedly he is the best bowler India has seen in its 92 years of test cricket history. 

          India had never had the dearth of spinners. Every decade India continued to produce quality spinners who impressed both at home and away matches and won matches for the country. The golden era of Indian spin bowling was probably 1960s and 1970s. The greatest spin quartet India has ever produced, EAS Prasanna, B S Chandrashekhar, S Venkataraghavan and Bishen Singh Bedi ruled the cricket world during this period. There are many memorable tests, both at home and away, where these spin wizards have helped India to seal many matches and even series. After their retirement, India had a void for a decade in spin department, but it was more than made up by the one and only terrific fast bowling all-rounder India has ever seen, Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj. At the beginning of 1990s, Anil Kumble emerged as the flag bearer of Indian spin department. Almost a decade later, Harbhajan Singh joined him. Now Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been leading india in an unprecedented manner for the last decade or so, and India have been dominating the rest of the world at home in a way that none of the teams in the world have done in the past. Neither the formidable West Indians under Clive Lloyd and Vivian Richards nor the intimidating Australians under Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting had achieved a winning streak of test series at home like this Indian team has done. But to say that it was possible only because of Ashwin or Jadeja is doing great injustice to the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

          Bumrah made his debut in white ball cricket in Australia in 2016. He mesmerized the entire cricket world by his unique bowling action. Within a few days he bamboozled the batsmen from all over the world with his magical spell. In August 2017, Indian team went to Srilanka and in the five match ODI series, Indians roasted the hosts and for the first time, India swept the five match series in the Island. Bumrah took 15 wickets in the series and was adjudged man of the series. This was probably the first time he won an entire series for India.

          Shortly after that, Bumrah made his debut in red ball cricket also. In 2018 January, he made his debut in test cricket in South Africa. In the third test of the series, he bagged his first fifer and India registered an epic 63 run victory against the hosts. That proved that this man is not made for only shorter versions of the game, but also made for the longest format of the game. 

          After that, he never turned back. He is the main architect of India’s first ever test series victory on the Australian soil. His spell in the Boxing Day test at Melbourne in December 2018 is iconic and that altogether changed the fortunes of Indian cricket. He also led India to victory in the two test series in West Indies in 2019. He also became the third Indian bowler after Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan to take a hat trick in test cricket. 

          India went to England in 2021 to play a five test series. Bumrah again came to party in the first test itself. He took nine wickets in that test and set the stage for India’s victory, but the fifth day of the test was washed out due to heavy rain. In the second test, India batted first and England went past India’s total and they thought a lead of 27 runs was just enough, but Bumrah had other ideas. He showed his prowess in the second innings with the bat and along with Mohammed Shami, he added 89 runs for the unbroken ninth wicket to set a decent target of 272 runs for the hosts, which proved to be more than enough. He took two crucial wickets which paved the way for India’s victory. 

          In the third test, the hosts retaliated and levelled the series, but in the fourth test, Bumrah again showed why he is the best in the world. He removed Olli Pope and Jonny Bairstow in similar fashion and India won the test by a whopping margin of 157 runs, that too after erasing a first innings deficit of 99 runs. After that, the tour was abandoned due to Covid and the final test of the series was postponed, which was played the next year and Bumrah himself was at the helm of the team as regular captain Rohit Sharma was injured. Even though India lost that match, Bumrah was involved in the record over delivered by Stuart Broad, in which he went for 35 runs, which is till date the most expensive over in test cricket. 

          2023 world cup showed the entire world that he is not the man who can torment the batsmen on bouncy tracks alone. Along with Mohammed Shami, he literally tore apart the batsmen from all over the world. Even though Shami was the leading wicket taker in the tournament, Bumrah’s role in the entire tournament was unquestionable. 

          In the recent test series against England at home, Bumrah again proved why he is the most intimidating bowler in the world today. His Yorker to Ollie Pope and the in swinger delivery to Ben Stokes in the first innings of the second test on a flat track was a feather to his crown. As long as Bumrah is there in the Indian side, no one dares to write off India in any format of the game!