Jasprit Bumrah has certainly gained respect all over the world for his ability to make an impact in every match that India plays. His stature is very close to what Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have in the dressing room. He can be considered as Sachin Tendulkar of bowling like how Zaheer Khan was considered back in his days.
Jasprit Bumrah ever since his recovery from injury, and his return to the international cricket scene has been in incredible form. Players found it extremely tough to get runs against him in the Indian Premier League 2024, and he was one of the finest bowlers in the ODI World Cup 2023.
With a very unique but effective action, Jasprit Bumrah has managed to decipher almost all batsmen around the world. His ability to read the game and bowl the perfect ball in that situation is untouchable.
Jasprit Bumrah Has Clear Cut Plans
Sreesanth praised Bumrah, he said :
“All I can say is the way Jasprit Bumrah bowls, whenever he gets an opportunity to bowl, he’s got that plan and he executes those plans really well. If you look at his deliveries, he bowls in front of his head, which is an awkward action, making it very difficult to pick up,”
Bumrah has been referred to by Sreesanth as the game-changing player who possesses the ability to determine the outcome on his own.
“The England players have faced him, but when it comes to critical situations, maybe that is one mantra to learn—that Bumrah is going to be a big difference when it comes to winning or losing,” he said. “Those four overs, those 24 balls, how the England team deals with them will matter,” the 41-year-old added.
Sreesanth also discussed Arshdeep Singh, who has taken a number of wickets in the competition, and went on to discuss the men in blue’s bowling strength.
“The best thing with Jaasprit Bumrah is the bowling partnership with Arshdeep. Even Arshdeep is taking wickets. When someone is trying to see off Jasprit Bumrah, there is a possibility that Arshdeep will take a wicket, not just because he’s bowling okay, but because he’s bowling brilliantly,” he continued.
“If you’re trying to see off Arshdeep, there comes Hardik Pandya. He can surprise you with those bouncers. And then we have Kuldeep (Yadav), Axar (Patel) and (Ravindra) Jadeja. So it’s a brilliant bowling attack to win the World Cup,” he said.
Same Aura As The Great Sachin Tendulkar
The former seamer observed the aura surrounding star bowler Bumrah and compared him to the great Sachin Tendulkar, whose presence alone could intimidate opponents and inspire teammates.
“And one more thing I want to say, when Bumrah comes in, not a single batsman actually wants to go after him, especially in a knockout game,” he continued.
“That’s the presence of Jasprit Bumrah in the team; even if he doesn’t move, it’s like Sachin Tendulkar when he used to play and stand in the mid-off. That’s the kind of inspiration other bowlers are getting from Jasprit Bumrah’s presence; it is unbelievable,” the seamer said.
The native of Kerala also praised captain Rohit Sharma’s abilities and gave him the go-ahead to win the coveted trophy.
“Rohit Sharma has all the capabilities of a winning captain. He’s got that experience, so I don’t see any reason why he can’t go all the way and win the World Cup,” the pacer said.
“We spoke about Rashid Khan and how, with brotherhood, he has kept the team as a unit. Similarly, Rohit Sharma has also done it many times in franchise cricket. He knows every player individually,” he added.
Additionally, he discussed the impact that all-around player Hardik Pandya had on the squad and drew comparisons between it and the contributions made by the late, great Yuvraj Singh in his prime.
“Despite the speculations going on throughout the week, in the last press conference, he spoke about Hardik Pandya being a key player in the team. Just like Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 World Cup as an all-rounder with bat, ball, and fielding, I think Hardik Pandya is very much capable of doing that in this World Cup,” he continued.
“We wouldn’t be surprised if Rohit Sharma lifts that trophy,” the pacer signed off.