If there’s one player, other than Virat Kohli, who has drawn the most attention ahead of the coming Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia, it’s India’s bowling spearhead and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, whom ‘Fox Cricket‘ described as the first visiting fast bowler “since the golden era of the West Indies in the 1970s” to have “struck fear into the hearts of Australians”.
Not just the leader of India’s attack, Bumrah has also led the revolution in the country’s fast-bowling history by excelling in different countries, all formats and on varying pitches, including the tracks at home and in the subcontinent that favour the spinners. That’s where his skills and contribution stand out.
And when it comes to Australia, he just smacks his lips and “tiptoes” in to deliver those unplayable lines and lengths while swinging the ball both ways at upwards of 140kmph, with a toe-crushing yorker quietly slipped in.
His 32 wickets at an average of 21.25 during India’s historic back-to-back triumphs on their last two tours of Australia were central to those victories.
‘Fox Cricket’ went knocking at the door of some of Australia’s leading batters, who will be part of the five-match BGT commencing with the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth from November 22, to ask what it is like to face Bumrah.
‘HE IS THEIR BIGGEST’
“Impossible” – replied batter Travis Head when asked about his experience of batting against the Indian pacer. “You try to feel like you’re one step ahead, but it always feels like he’s that next step. Any format of the game, he’s incredible. He’s their X-factor, he’s the guy they go to every time; and more often than not, he’s able to produce for them. In big moments you want big players, and I think he’s their biggest.
“You have got your work cut out as a batter. He’s someone that’s going to be difficult over summer,” he added.
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‘ARMS GOING EVERYWHERE’
Highlighting Bumrah’s awkward stiff-arm delivery stride at the end of a short run-up that begins with a tip-toe walk, opening batter Usman Khawaja compared Bumrah to Mitchell Johnson.
“When I first faced Bumrah, I was like, ‘Oh where did that come from?'” said Khawaja.
“It comes at you a little bit quicker than you expect because of the awkwardness of his action and how he releases the ball, much like Mitchell Johnson; he had a weird action too. The ball used to come out and felt like it got to you quicker because you didn’t get a look at it the whole way. Jasprit is a little bit the same, with arms going everywhere.”
‘TAKES A LITTLE BIT GETTING USED DO’
Australia’s former captain Steve Smith has enjoyed a fair bit of success against Bumrah, but he said it’s especially not easy to face him for the first few deliveries because of his “awkward” bowling action.
“He’s just awkward with the way he bowls. It’s obviously very different to a lot of other people. It takes a little bit getting used to. I have played against him quite a lot now, and it still takes a couple of balls to get used to the different rhythm.”
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HOW BUMRAH GENERATES SO MUCH PACE?
Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson explained to ‘Fox Cricket’ how Bumrah manages to generate so much pace from a short run-up that does not include running at speed.
“He is not reliant on run-up speed, so he is not reliant on the real physicality of running in, which is normally where a lot of fast bowlers get tired, while he just tiptoes in,” said Watson. “But because of his freakish co-ordination, the ball just flies out of his hand.”
Watson added: “His release point’s different as well. His release point is way in front of the crease, so it actually feels like he’s bowling nearly on top of you. There’s a shorter gap between the ball coming out and the ball hitting your bat.”
Watson, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2020, shared his experience of facing Bumrah, when he used to rely more on deliveries swinging in.
“From when I first faced him, he was only an in-swing bowler with variations of speed in T20 cricket, but now for the last number of years, he swings it both ways at speed,” he said. “The batters who score runs against him, they are absolutely going to be at their very best, because he’s that good.”
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‘HE IS EXCEPTIONAL’
Marnus Labuschagne was the top-scorer in the last BGT played in Australia, scoring 426 runs and therefore had a fair measure of Bumrah during those eight innings four summers ago.
Like some of his fellow batters in the Australia squad, Labuschagne also highlighted the element of surprising speed that Bumrah generates and then backs it up by controlling his line, length and swing to perfection.
“His run-up doesn’t match the speed he bowls, so you can get done by the pace a little bit if he’s just skidding it through,” said the Australian. “He can swing the ball both ways, he can nip it, and because he’s a class bowler, he’s got a bouncer up his sleeve so he can use that as well to put you under pressure.
“Whether he goes out-swing or in-swing, I don’t think the seam moves. It’s straight. To be the best in India, where they love cricket, you’ve got to be exceptional, and that’s what he is,” Labuschagne concluded.
Bumrah will lead India in the first Test of this BGT because the designated skipper Rohit Sharma, who became a father recently, will be unavailable for the game in Perth.
