CHENNAI: Be it their 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa or the semifinal of 2026 edition versus England at a batter-friendly Wankhede wicket, it was Jasprit Bumrah who choked opponents for runs bringing India back in the game. Two years ago, he was the player of the tournament while the pacer deservingly was named as player of the final a few days ago in Ahmedabad.
The 32-year-old from Ahmedabad has been the difference between India and the rest more often than not. The difference became more prominent on the wickets where runs were in abundance and the same was witnessed during the semifinal and final of the 2026 edition. The opponents were left with no option than to discount Bumrah's four overs from the equation no matter how big the targets were. It was the case with England, who lost the match by seven runs chasing an improbable target of 254. It was no different when New Zealand came out to bat chasing 256 in the summit clash.
The right-hand fast bowler finished with 14 wickets, joint-highest along with his compatriot Varun Chakaravarthy. It was former New Zealand captain John Wright who introduced Bumrah to the world almost 13 years ago while scouting talents for Mumbai Indians. As luck would have it, it was his find that deprived New Zealand of an ICC title on March 8.
Irrespective of which team he is playing against, Wright, 71, enjoys Bumrah bamboozling batters with his accurate line and lengths and same might have been the case during the final. "Well I sort of sit quietly and watch on the television and enjoy watching him (Bumrah) bowl," Wright told The New Indian Express when spoken about Bumrah's exploits in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup.
Wright will always find a mention whenever talks will center around Bumrah but the former Kiwi left-hand batter was modest when credited for unearthing a future star. "I was just fortunate enough to turn up at the right place at the right time all those years ago, which is 2013," was his response.
Wright said Bumrah is right up there among the great bowlers of all times. "He's just one of a kind, really, because he's played across all three formats and been successful in every one of them. So he's going to be rated way up there. The word great is bandied about, but, you know, he's in that territory." Bumrah has scalped more than 500 wickets in Tests, ODIs and T20Is so far and Wright hoped the pacer continues to play for many more years to come. Among pacers with more than 400 wickets across formats, only Joel Garner has a better average (20.2) than Bumrah (20.49) and only Lasith Malinga (32.8) betters him (32.9) marginally in strike rate. And that tells the elite group he belongs to. "I think the challenge for any fast bowler for longevity is keeping the fitness and the strength that's required. It's a very physical, demanding role being a fast bowler. So that will determine how long he keeps playing. And let's hope it's for many years to come. The figures really say it all," he said.
No matter how many times he had narrated his first encounter with Bumrah, the conversation would not be complete with him reminiscing about the day. "I have just begun my coaching with Mumbai Indians. I went to Ahmedabad to watch the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match. I saw him bowl two overs. And then I immediately asked Parthiv Patel, who was the captain of Gujarat, 'who it was.' And then we had a conversation because I'd coached Parthiv when I was Indian coach, and he said it's Boom. Parthiv was very complimentary in his potential," remembered Wright.
What impressed the Kiwi the most was his unusual action and the way he was bowling back-to-back Yorkers. "Gujarat were playing Mumbai in a T20 match and he tried to bowl two overs of yorkers. Nothing else. He had an unusual action and he looked like he was pretty quick. So I found Rahul Sanghvi, who was the person I reported to at MI and I don't know what happened after that. There was no auction in those days. We signed him immediately. He (Rahul) must have phoned, maybe, the owners, Nita Ambani, who was in charge of the team. And by the morning, we had signed him. So then he joined us. We also had Axar Patel there at that time. Actually they were good friends and they were the youngest in our squad. So it was a lucky break for us. So that's how I found Jasprit."
Wright equally credited the Indian domestic structure for bringing out the precious talent and said Bumrah has been a product of both the IPL and Gujarat cricket. " I think Jasprit has been a product of IPL but he was first picked by the state side. He was initially picked by state selectors and playing domestic cricket is a big step in Indian cricket. So both should be credited."
Speaking on Bumrah's future and where he would end up as a cricketer, he said, "It's always hard to predict the future. He didn't come from a cricketing family. And then we were lucky enough to just get him at Mumbai Indians. But it's always hard to predict how far young talent will go. He has had a great cricketing pathway through domestic cricket and IPL with wonderful coaching and facilities. But more than anything the credit goes to him because he has taken every advantage of the opportunities that he has had and just progressed from there. And the last thing I'd like to say really is that he is highly intelligent, but he has always kept his feet on the ground. A great credit should go to himself and his family."
Wright scored more than 5000 runs in 82 Tests apart from amassing close to 4000 runs in 149 ODIs. During his international career spanning over 14 years, Wright played several memorable knocks for his country and only added to his achievement when he returned to the cricket ground as a coach. Amid all feats he had earned over the years as a player and coach, Bumrah's discovery will be there right at the top. But as his wont, Wright instead signed off saying, "He was a joy to work with and a great lad to have in the game."