Having made his international debut in January 2016, India speedster Jasprit Bumrah has come a long way. After impressing one and all in white-ball cricket, Bumrah proved his prowess in the longest format as well.
In his debut Test season, the right-arm pacer claimed 48 wickets from 9 matches at an outstanding average of 21.02 and played an instrumental role in India’s first-ever Test series victory on Australian soil. Currently, the No. 1 ranked ODI bowler in ICC rankings, Bumrah performed brilliantly to help Mumbai Indians clinched their fourth IPL title last week.
Such has been the impact of Jasprit Bumrah across all formats that he was being hailed as the best fast bowler in world cricket by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar after the IPL 2019 final. And now India’s bowling coach Bharat Arun has echoed Tendulkar’s statement.
“He is the best paceman in the world, across formats. His action, movement, yorkers, changes of pace and awkward bounce make him deadly at any stage,” Arun quoted as saying by Sportstar.
Asked if Indian bowlers would feel jaded during the World Cup after a gruelling IPL, the bowling coach said: “I think they were used judiciously by the teams and given sufficient rest during the IPL.”
Describing the mood in the camp and how the team is planning to deal with the World Cup pressure, Arun asserted: “The mood in the team is upbeat. Skipper Virat Kohli is such a very positive person. And coach Ravi Shastri is a very good man-manager and motivator. The trick will be to embrace the pressure. We will have to break the process into compartments, just focussing on the next delivery for instance, and live in the present.”
Kuldeep Yadav’s form has been a cause of concern for the Men in Blue ahead of the World Cup. The wrist spinner claimed only 4 wickets in 9 games for Kolkata Knight Riders during the recently held IPL and was dropped from the last few games owing to poor form.
Asked whether Kuldeep will regain confidence after the lacklustre IPL, Arun said: “Kuldeep will be a different bowler in the World Cup. He is a rarity, knows his strengths and variations.”
He believes the presence of two wrist spinners in Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal will benefit Team India during the quadrennial event.
“It was a conscious move by Kohli and Shastri to have wrist spinners after the Champions Trophy in England because they can turn the ball on any surface and pick wickets in the middle-overs. And we need to attack in the crucial middle-overs. Then, Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm spin can be handy if there is assistance from the surface.”
Commenting on India’s chances to win the World Cup, Bharat Arun said: “India is one of the favourites but in this World Cup, there are several contenders. Consistency will be the key.”
