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Jasprit Bumrah: A limited edition marvel

Jasprit Bumrah made the Aussies dance to his tunes with a six wicket haul

Jasprit Bumrah. the go-to-man of Virat Kohli (Image: Twitter)

Bengaluru, December 28: Virat Kohli doffed his hat to Jasprit Bumrah while walking to the pavilion after bundling out Australia for 151 in the first innings at Melbourne. It was the ultimate tribute to a bowler who has responded to the captain's call more often than not this year.

For the record, Bumrah has so far taken 45 Test wickets this year, with an innings to go at the MCG, after making his debut against South Africa at Cape Town. And only Kapil Dev (1979, 1983) and Zaheer (2010) have managed to take wickets at lesser average in a calendar year. He now has a five-wicket haul in the SENA nations in 2018. It is hard to imagine any other bowler who has become the team's go-to-man in the space of 9 Test matches. The captain wants to check the run -flow, his first option is Bumrah. The captain wants a breakthrough, his first option is Bumrah.

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And he does all that work in a no-fuss manner. In fact, Bumrah does not fit into the monochrome of a fast bowler - a snarling, sledging man with a steel-melting stare. Apart from his amazing bag of tricks, all he offers is a smile. A Tony among fast bowlers, if you may. Bumrah even does not have a run-up and action a la a Michael Holding or Waqar Younis that often makes pace bowling a treat to watch. He just stutters to the crease and delivers the ball at nearly 150 clicks with a wickedly fast arm fitted on to an extremely strong shoulder.

And Bumrah is not just brawn, a brain that is as alert as that of a scientist ticks beneath too. He mixes his line and length, varies pace and has a nasty bouncer that can rattle batsmen. The way Bumrah dismissed Shaun Marsh on Friday (December 28) was a perfect example of the thinking that goes into his art. The first five balls of the over was hovering over 140 kmph, creating the impression of him trying to convince the batsman of his effort bowl fast. But then he unleashed the slower ball (111 kmph) that caught Shaun Marsh completely off the guard.

Searching for the quick ball, Marsh played it early, missed it completely to get trapped in front of the wicket. It went well with a stat shared by CricViz - Bumrah managed to draw 26% false shots off his deliveries, the highest percentage by any bowler in this MCG Test. At Perth too, Bumrah managed to elicit 33 play-and-miss shots from the Australian batsmen, best by any bowler from either side. It is an indication of the doubts Bumrah generate in the minds of batsmen.

And on this day at the MCG, it was Bumrah all the way. The wicket everyone thought to be flatter than an Expressway, Bumrah found bounce, pace and rolled out yorkers, slower balls and snorters to check the survival skills of Australians and they were no match.

But what makes Bumrah all the more fascinating is that he does not have a prototype. He does not resemble any fast bowlers of the past and he does not have a contemporary too. It's unlikely that coaches would recommend Burmrah's skiddy approach and awkward action to any budding pacer. He is a lone ranger. A limited edition marvel. And fortunately for India, he plays for them.

Story first published: Friday, December 28, 2018, 14:06 [IST]
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