On the way back from the India-South Africa match in a group of about 10 there were a few kids. Wearing the India blue, some of them were playfully running into bowl. All of them were trying to mimic the action of one bowler. “Isn’t this how Bumrah does it?” The elders in the group nodded laughingly in the affirmative. In a World Cup tipped to be dominated by spinners, the quicker ones have already made an impression. Till halfway into Thursday’s Australia-West Indies match, the top five in the list of wicket-takers were pacers. Not in that bunch yet, but ranking surely among the top in the impact index is the one the children were trying to imitate. It’s no surprise people have started saying Jasprit Bumrah is the most valuable player of the Indian team, ahead of Virat Kohli.
Other than the skills he brings to table like pace, movement off the pitch, yorkers and slower balls, there is a factor of unpredictability which makes Bumrah the envy of other teams. In the days of video analysis and endless dissection of a player’s abilities to the minutest of details, there is something unknown about what he does. One gets a feeling that the batsman is almost always playing a guessing game facing him. Footwork or shot selection, they are generally a fraction of a second late in taking the decision when Bumrah is bowling.
Talking about the process that helps him do what he does with such telling effect, he appears modest. “Not sure about the surprise element, but there is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the cameras. Variations with the new ball and the old ball — there is a lot of preparation and homework involved. It’s also important to be clear about what you want to do. Then comes the question of not thinking of expectations. I try to do what the team requires me to, instead of thinking that I have a reputation to live up to.”
Simple and yet the effect can be deadly as batsmen of numerous teams have found out. The awkward arm movement is only the beginning. Uncertainty about what the ball will do after that becomes the bigger challenge. It used to be only inward movement for right-handers when Bumrah started. But he has added variations and batsmen have to be ready these days for the one that straightens and effectively forces them to play for away movement. In between come the toe-crushers at high speed with the occasional wide and slower one. Taken together, these weapons make Bumrah perhaps the toughest bowler to face at any stage of an innings in one-dayers.
According to Kohli, other than the mixed bag of deliveries, attitude separates his trump card from other bowlers. Even at the nets, the skipper notices no letup in intensity when Bumrah is bowling. “What you see in the match is exactly what he is during practice. He doesn’t care who is in front of him. He will bounce people, try to get them bowled and york them with the new ball. He doesn’t change his game because he is bowling in the nets. If you are a bit hesitant, he senses it. If he sees someone’s not enjoying the short ball, he makes sure that guy gets it in that session. You have to be at your best as a batsman. Otherwise, they will be trouble.”
What Kohli didn’t say was, there can be trouble even if batsmen pay attention to all these. Few in contemporary cricket command as much respect with the ball on pitches made for batsmen. And if there is something for bowlers in them, like in some of the World Cup venues, Bumrah can keep batsmen under a leash all the time. As the Cup progresses, expect more and more kids to imitate that action.