Jasprit Bumrah, the No. 1 ranked Test bowler, starred with the ball in India’s 295-run victory over Australia in the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test at Perth last month.
Leading the Indian team in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, Bumrah made the Aussie batters dance to his tunes as he returned with a match-haul of eight wickets (8-72).
The right-arm quick carried his brilliance to the ongoing pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval, picking up four scalps in Australia’s first innings.
Speaking on live commentary for ABC Sport, legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath recalled when Bumrah had a stint at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai.
"What aspect do you love the most about Bumrah?" McGrath was inquired by renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle.
"He is just so unique in his (bowling) action, isn't he? The way he runs up. It's not something you'd teach young bowlers to do, but he's found a way. He ambles in, and then the last two steps, just powers through the crease, bowls in such great areas," said McGrath.
"He's quite hypermobile in his joints and sort of got a great wrist and very good control. The ball moves both ways. So he is a complete package."
Bhogle continued to pick McGrath’s brains as he asked, "If you saw a 15-year-old Bumrah, would you try to correct him or would you let him be?"
In response, the Australian great said: "Well, you've got, whatever their natural ability is. I saw Jasprit when he was younger. He had good pace, but his action was completely different -- short run-up, came in, was bowling quick, but he had a massive jump out, and then he'd bowl."
At that time, McGrath had advised Bumrah to eradicate his jump. "I sort of suggested it would be better if he went straight through the crease, but he couldn't do it. So he played like that. Then he had a problem with his knee. He sort of blew his knee out, whatever damage he did to it. When he came back, I think he had to train himself to go straight through the crease," he said.
"First let me say, I am not taking any credit whatsoever for that. But he had to re-train himself, which is tough. And now he goes straight through the crease with that arm right behind the ball. With that pace and skidding it into the stumps, he's definitely a handful," he further remarked.
