CWC 2019: Jasprit Bumrah explains why a pacer can't master the art of yorkers

Bumrah nailed his yorkers to perfection in the death overs against Bangladesh on Tuesday.

Jasprit Bumrah | Getty

Jasprit Bumrah has been Virat Kohli’s go-to bowler for some time now and the speedster once again justified his numero uno tag by claiming 4 wickets for 55 runs against Bangladesh on Tuesday (July 2).

Chasing 315 to win, Bangladesh could have stunned India but Bumrah nailed his yorkers to perfection in the death overs to bundle out the Tigers for 286 in 48 overs. He was also lethal in the middle overs and broke the dangerous looking 66-run partnership between Sabbir Rahman and Mohammad Saifuddin by removing the former for 36.

Addressing the press conference after the match, Bumrah said his mastery over yorkers is just about "decent" and that too after hours of intense net practice.

"I do it again and again and again in the nets. So the more you do it, you get decent at it. You can't master it," Bumrah told reporters. "You are still trying to get better at it, yeah. It's all about repetition. It's like any other ball."

Being boring is the new normal for Bumrah in his pursuit of excellence. The nets are his laboratory, where he does match simulation. But Bumrah finds it important as those productive hours at the nets are his best ally to execute things in tricky match situations.

"Whenever I practice in the nets, I practice each and every situation, be it with the new ball, be it with the old ball, bowling at the death," he remarked.

"So if I have ticked all of the boxes in the net, it's then all about execution (in the match) and keeping a clear head. If the work ethic is good, I think the execution feels much easier in the game," the right-armer continued.

When asked if any batsman who has got a measure of his yorker, Bumrah replied: "I've not really given it a thought. I just focus on the team goal whenever I'm bowling. I'm not thinking who's playing me well. I just focus on how I can contribute to the team."

Considering his significance, Indian fans want Bumrah to be wrapped in cotton wool but the paceman himself doesn't want that.

Asked if he would like to be rested in the last league game against Sri Lanka provided that India has already qualified for the semis, Bumrah said: "This is my first World Cup, so I want to play as many games as possible. I don't think I've become an experienced player that I could say I don't want to play some games."

"Yeah, I always look forward to playing, and the more number of matches you play, you enjoy more," he concluded.

(With PTI inputs)

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 03 Jul, 2019

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