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.
Any captain would love to have Jasprit Bumrah in their team in any format of the game. Jasprit Bumrah can turn the game in his team’s favor at any given time in the game and in any condition. Jasprit Bumrah is the most versatile bowler out there in international cricket.
The semifinal of the T20 showpiece is scheduled to begin on Thursday, signaling the end of the current iteration of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean. India and England are paired in a tantalizing final-four match at Providence Stadium in Guyana. The matchup between holders England and the winners of the first edition, India, is sure to be exciting.
Jasprit Bumrah Is A Superstar According To Paul Collingwood
Prior to the intriguing match, former England captain Paul Collingwood—who guided the English to their maiden T20 championship more than ten years ago—thought that India, with Jasprit Bumrah, had the finest seamer in international cricket, giving the men in blue a significant advantage. He said :
“I think if you had a piece of paper and had to pick a cricket team, in any form of the game, Jasprit Bumrah would be the first name going on that list right at the top. It’s as simple as that,” he began. “He’s the best cricketer in the world at this moment. The skill level, the pace, the deception that he has in T20 cricket are incredible,” the 48-year-old said.
He did, however, also suggest that rather than waiting for Jasprit Bumrah to finish his four overs, England would try to attack the Indian bowling spearhead.
“But the one thing I would say is that in the past, England have gone aggressive. If they can take down that spearhead, if they can take down that linchpin, the effect it has on the opposition is huge, and that’s the kind of mentality that England will have to have,” he opined.
He mentioned the potential psychological effects that dismissing the opposition’s strike bowler could have on a team and said that, although it might be dangerous, if England could pull it off, it would make all the difference.
“They won’t be taking the conservative approach here, they won’t be looking to just see him off, you saw Travis Head get after Bumrah a couple of times, in the Australia match. And the impact it has if the opposition takes down your spearhead, could dishearten the Indian cricket team,” Collingwood continued.
“So that’s an approach that England may take, but it’s a risky one because we know how skilful and how many wickets Bumrah can take,” he said.
Rohit Sharma Leading By Example
Collingwood also praised Indian captain Rohit Sharma for setting a positive example and fostering a culture of discipline in the locker room.
“I think the messaging is pretty clear from Rohit Sharma. Whether it’s the messaging in the changing room, or some of the messaging we have seen in his press conferences, where he says it’s not about personal milestones, it’s about strike rates or having an impact on the game, all these things are huge when it comes to players going out and having that belief that the captain and the coach are 100% behind you, and have an impact on the game. And I think it’s seen a massive change in the Indian cricket team,” he explained.
He continued by talking about Virat Kohli’s skillful pursuit of runs. He said:
“They’ve always been one of the best chasers in T20 cricket, Virat Kohli at the top of the order, once he knows what rhythm, what style he’s got to play, then he’s one of the best chasers,” he added.
Massive Switch In Indian Cricket Team
He saw the shift in mindset that the guys in blue had chosen in their strategy over the past few years and compared it to the English aggressive ethic.
“I’ve seen a massive switch in the Indian cricket team, especially when they are setting targets now, they really want to be aggressive from ball one. In England, they have been doing this for six, seven years, since Eoin Morgan took over in 2016,” Collingwood elaborated.
“They’ve had this really go out and be aggressive from ball one approach. And it seems that they’ve set a benchmark for other teams to follow that and India are no different. So when you’ve got the skill and the batters that the Indian cricket team have, it can be a very powerful and dangerous unit,” he concluded.