Sachin Tendulkar calls Jasprit Bumrah a complete bowler; praises him for being a fast learner

Tendulkar heaps praises on India's bowling attack for their efforts.

Jasprit Bumrah helped India win the MCG Test thanks to his 9/86 in the match incl. 6/33 | GettyJasprit Bumrah has had a brilliant start to his Test career, picking 48 wickets in the year 2018 in Tests and picking a fifer each in South Africa, England, and Australia. He picked a career-best 6/33 in the Melbourne Test match, helping India win the match and get an unassailable lead of 2-1.

Bumrah, who was picked out of nowhere by IPL franchise Mumbai Indians in 2013 and was fortunate to play with Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar as the mentor of the team has seen Bumrah from close quarters and in an interview with theweek.in, talked in details about this amazing fast bowler.

First of all, Sachin analyzed India’s performance down under and said, “I think our performance has been really good. The bowlers have been effective and the batters have also stepped up. I would especially like to point out Cheteshwar Pujara—I think he has been magnificent. He is known to tire bowlers out, to construct an innings.

He further said, “The bowling, I feel, has been terrific. If you look at all three Tests, the fast bowlers have really bowled their hearts out. Also, to be fair, Australia without [David] Warner and [Steve] Smith has been a really average team. This batting lineup does not come anywhere close to earlier Australian teams, known to challenge the opposition with attacking stroke-play and depth in batting. Compared with that, I think they are vulnerable without Smith and Warner. There is that vacuum. If you look at the last six or seven Tests, they have lost quite a few. There is obviously pressure on them.

Overall, if you take [Jasprit] Bumrah, [Mohammed] Shami, Ishant [Sharma], [Ravindra] Jadeja and [Ravichandran] Ashwin, all of them have chipped in at some point or the other. It has been a complete performance, which has come at the right time,” said Sachin.

Sachin also called the Indian bowling attack the best ever to tour Australia.

A young Jasprit Bumrah watches Sachin Tendulakr execute a delivery

He said, “I would agree with that. I would also say that the same bowling unit has played for a year. We started playing against South Africa and then England. Then we played against two weaker teams—the West Indies and Australia. The West Indies team was extremely vulnerable; [our bowlers] got them out almost twice in a day! And Australia does not have a great batting lineup at this stage. I am not taking anything away from our bowlers, [but] if Australia’s batting lineup [was at] full strength, I am sure even our bowlers would have enjoyed the challenge.

Talking about his initial reaction about Bumrah, Sachin said, “My foremost thought was that he had a very awkward action, but he managed to hit the bat hard. So, the pace and bounce he generated off the pitch were really good.

He added, “And then my opinion changed over time. He is a good listener. To be a good cricketer, you have to also be a good listener. He is a fast learner and a practical person. Whatever conversations I have had with him, he [seemed like a] practical, honest and methodical guy who assesses his game the way it is meant to be, and improves on the areas he can.

He praised Bumrah by saying, “I can say that he is a complete bowler. He has got an inswinger, outswinger, yorker [and a] sharp short-pitched ball. He also bowls reverse swing and, on top of that, has a brilliant slower ball. I think ammunition wise, he has got plenty and that can be dangerous. When you have all these variations, but with a traditional action, things can be managed. But [an] action that is slightly out of the box has become his strength. The batsmen will always take a fraction longer to think [about] what he will deliver.

He said, “I do not think anyone in international cricket has or has had this type of action. Just like Malinga; no one bowls like him or Paul Adams. Also, Makhaya Ntini and Andre Nel were different.

You conserve and plan, said Tendulkar with respect to resting Bumrah | AFPGiving his thoughts on whether Bumrah should be rested, Sachin said, “The ideal scenario is [to use him carefully], but if you want to win, you do not calculate these things. They go out of the window. As a captain, you want to just press the accelerator, go as hard as possible for the win. That is exactly what the Indian team must be thinking. Bumrah really does not care; he wants to win. When you win a game for your team, that is the greatest feeling in the world. You conserve and plan, but when there is an opportunity to go for the kill, you go flat out.

Sachin also said the contribution of previous Indian bowling attacks is also vital.

He mentioned, “We have had [such] bowlers in the past, too. Please go back and see the batting lineups [Javagal] Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Ajit Agarkar and Anil Kumble bowled to. When Zaheer [Khan], Ashish [Nehra] and Harbhajan [Singh] played all across the world, the batting lineups were different. We should not forget their contributions.

I would say [it is] a complete bowling attack, which can be competitive in any part of the world. [It is] a good and balanced bowling attack. However, I would rather not compare,” Sachin signed off.

(with inputs from theweek.in)

 
 

By Jatin Sharma - 06 Jan, 2019

    Share Via