Former India coach John Wright, in an interview with Mumbai Mirror, spoke about identifying pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the first time, stating that his fast yorkers – now his trademark – impressed him while he was with Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
“He was playing in a T20 match in Ahmedabad in 2013,” Wright said. “I watched him the bowl last two or three overs of the innings. He bowled fast yorkers with an interesting action. One of his deliveries hit the footmark and flew right over the head of keeper Parthiv Patel. It went for four byes.”
India are in a position of command on day four at Melbourne after Bumrah’s brilliant six-wicket haul gave his side a handsome lead in the first innings. Bumrah is having a dream first season in Test cricket, making a seamless transition from One-day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals. The 24-year-old has now picked up a five-wicket haul in South Africa, England, and Australia.
“Sometimes it doesn’t work but in Bumrah’s case it has,” Wright said, about the Indian pacer’s smooth transition from T20 cricket to Tests. “To be honest, all the credit goes to him because it’s okay being picked and identified but then it’s up to the player to learn lessons and improve. I am enjoying his success and it’s great to see him bowl well in Australia.”
Wright added, “It’s the player that has to make this transformation. It’s a different game and I think now he is getting closer to the stumps while bowling. The great thing about him was his action and his pace. He can do some interesting things with the ball. He is not just a one-trick bowler.
“He has got quite a few attacking weapons up his sleeves. The thing about him is that he is a great lad and has kept his feet on the ground. I hope he keeps doing that. I also hope that he keeps doing what he does.”
The New Zealander, though, praised the pace battery he worked with when asked if having Bumrah would have bolstered the Indian team of the early 2000s. “I don’t like to compare eras. We had high-class attack of Zaheer [Khan], [Ashish] Nehra, [Ajit] Agarkar and [Javagal] Srinath. Agarkar had a big role in our win in Adelaide. We also had L Balaji in Pakistan.”
