“I don’t know if you guys in India realise how good Jasprit Bumrah is.”

Gently yet subtly, Mitchell McClenaghan held up a mirror to Indian cricket’s face after Mumbai Indians defended 130 in a thrilling one-run win over Rising Pune Supergiant on Sunday in Hyderabad to win their third Indian Premier League title.

Without doubt, Bumrah was one of the architects of that remarkable win. He gave away 12 in his first two overs and had the measure of Rahul Tripathi. He came in again when Pune needed 33 runs off the last 24 balls. He was up against Steve Smith and MS Dhoni with his reputation for finishing, intact. In that over, he kept his nerve, dismissed Dhoni, and gave away only three runs.

Nerveless

Despite being hit by a six by Smith in the 19th over, Bumrah still did enough. Apart from that six, he gave away only five more runs that over. Mitchell Johnson was left with just 11 to defend in the last over. Johnson stepped up and Mumbai won.

Bumrah exults after dismissing Rahul Tripathi in the final. Image credit: Ron Gaunt/Sportzpics/IPL

A few days earlier, Bumrah had returned magical figures of 3/7 in three overs against Kolkata Knight Riders in the second Qualifier. Make no mistake about it: those are extraordinary figures, never mind, opposition, pitch or conditions. Earlier in the tournament, he won Mumbai Indians a close match against Gujarat Lions single-handedly, conceding just six in a Super Over, against Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch to boot.

Significantly this season, as Lasith Malinga’s powers have waned, Jasprit Bumrah has slowly but surely stepped into those big boots. A few seasons earlier, the possibility of anyone else other than Malinga being called on by Mumbai to deliver at the death would be laughed at. But Bumrah has successfully done so. Batsmen are genuinely befuddled by him, much like they were in the face of Malinga’s bag of tricks.

Stepping into Malinga’s shoes

Bumrah has the yorkers as well, which he delivers with unwavering pinpoint accuracy, but his greatest weapon is the slower ball. That slingy action ensures batsmen, even as great as Smith and Dhoni, have no clue when it is coming – they are through with their shot, before realising to their horror that the ball has just arrived.

It’s easy to forget though how quickly Bumrah has climbed up the ranks. He made his India debut just one year back and then too, there was a slice of luck involved. India were in Australia for a limited-over series and were already trailing 0-4 in the One-Day International le. Jasprit Bumrah was flown in as a late replacement for Mohammed Shami and made his debut in the fifth ODI, where he took 2/40, in a match India won. He was so brilliant in the three Twenty20 Internationals (India swept that series 3-0) that followed that Dhoni called him “the find of the tour”.

Since then, he has gone from strength to strength. In 11 ODIs so far, he has 22 wickets at an average of 21.68 and an economy rate of under five. But that’s still put into shade if you look at his figures in Twenty20 International cricket, an average of 17.78, an economy of 6.58 and 33 wickets in 24 matches.

Death overs specialist

Keep in mind that most of these wickets have come at the death. Bowling in the slog overs is a specialisation, much like opening the batting or finishing a innings. It requires specific skills – the ability to land a yorker constantly and accurately while disguising your variations. This is the time when the batsmen are out to go full-tilt at the bowling so it’s essential that the bowler keeps a cool head, has set plans and knows where to set his field.

In that regard, Bumrah’s rise has been very good news for India’s bowling line-up which has traditionally lacked penetration in the death overs. His calmness and his ability to hold things together in the heat of the moment has led to many fans. After India won the Asia Cup last year, Dhoni praised Bumrah and said that he had given India some “relief” when it comes to death bowling.

Yet, have his contributions got the credit they desert? Look at this IPL as example. We’ve gone gaga over Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn’s hitting, Rishabh Pant’s pyrotechnics, Hashim Amla’s controlled aggression and Kieron Pollard’s power. It’s not like they’re undeserved but doesn’t Bumrah deserve his share of praise as well for excelling at a thankless task, day in and day out?

McClenaghan has a point. Jasprit Bumrah is India’s best Twenty20 bowler right now. It’s time he gets the credit he richly deserves.