5 batters who had no answer to a Jasprit Bumrah slower ball ft. Mohammad Rizwan and Ollie Robinson
"It's basically like a fast off-spinner at this stage," is what Jarrod Kimber wrote in his blog about a Jasprit Bumrah slower one to dismiss Ollie Robinson in 2021.
That exact expression, albeit in different words and languages, was repeatedly repeated on Saturday when he sent back Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan in a high-voltage 2023 World Cup clash. It's an expression of yielding to overwhelming genius.
So how does he do it? Kimber in that blog talked about his shorter action, and the ability to "shorten the pitch" by releasing the ball from much farther from the umpire and toward the batter than any other fast bowler.
Jofra Archer has talked about how his unique action makes it difficult to spot the cutters accurately. It's all in his wrists and he veils that under the brisk arm speed.
That combines with his supremely well-planned set-ups and a pin-point execution of the basics that make him so good. That delivery to Rizwan has given us a chance to relive these tricks and all the preceding brilliant slower ones which left Bumrah's fans and opposition gasping.
On that note, let's take a look at five of these:
#5 Mohammad Rizwan
Let's start with the most recent one. Rizwan had batted brilliantly for his 49 (68). He had the responsibility of slowing things down and stretching the innings forward after Kuldeep Yadav's double strike in just one over. Bumrah perhaps had also seen the wicketkeeper-batter's struggles against deliveries that jag back from a good length.
Bumrah had threatened to attempt that previously in the over but the pitch and the old ball were never going to support that. So it became a set-up for the change-up.
The last ball of the over pitched on that perfect length where Rizwan's only option was to stay on the backfoot and dab it to mid-wicket. He tried that but the pacer's arm speed deceived him. The ball didn't come when he moved his bat and sneaked in later through the gate to crash into the timber.
It was a killer blow in more ways than one and led to a massive seven-wicket win for India.
#4 Glenn Maxwell
This one is from the IPL, the cauldron where Bumrah burnished this craft of slower ones. It's an extremely underrated slower one that not many seem to remember.
On April 20, 2017, he came up against a pre-RCB prime Glenn Maxwell, who smashed his and his teammates' quicker deliveries all around the park. The then-Kings XI Punjab captain was batting at 40 off just 17 deliveries when Bumrah outfoxed him.
It was a straight ball, angled in from over the wicket. Maxwell thought it would be fuller and on his stumps so went for a cross-batted flick over mid-wicket. But the ball dipped in front of his bat and jagged in. Maxwell's flick went full circle and became a helicopter shot but the ball ignored it completely to hit the stumps.
Bumrah stood tired and stared at him as he trudged back surprised to the pavilion.
#3 Shaun Marsh
A lot of people always worried about how the IPL would impact Test cricket. When Bumrah used his slower one against Shaun Marsh in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it felt like the IPL gave a new life to the old firm of Test cricket.
Marsh and Travis Head were building a small partnership after Australia lost a few wickets trying to chase India's 443/7. The Melbourne wicket was slow and low which was offering next to nothing for the fast bowlers.
Last over before lunch on the third day, Bumrah, on Rohit Sharma's advice, became creative. He sent in a slow dipping yorker, one of the most difficult deliveries to execute but with a two-pronged upside - either the batter misses and gets hit in front or lobs it covers. Marsh missed and was lbw plumb in front.
"Nothing much was happening," Bumrah said after the match. "So, last ball before lunch, Rohit was there at mid-off, and he told me, 'You can try a slower ball like you bowl in one-day cricket.' So I thought, 'Yeah, I could give it go. Nothing is really happening and maybe a slower ball there and some of their guys play with hard hands...' So I wanted to try that, the execution was good on the day. Yeah, really happy."
India bowled Australia out for 151 and went on to win by 137 runs.
#2 Kusal Mendis
Marsh missed but Kusal Mendis lobbed a near-identical slow yorker to the cover region against India in the 2023 Asia Cup Super Four clash in September.
Bumrah had already taken out Pathum Nissanaka with a classic out-swinger. He set Mendis up by bowling a searing yorker on the stumps. The next ball was slightly outside the off-stump and Mendis, trying to preserve his wicket, came forward to play a solid defensive drive to covers.
But instead of his bat hitting the ball, the ball hit the willow after it was down almost still on the ground, and lobbed off to substitute fielder Suryakumar Yadav at covers.
This is the only wicket on this list that isn't off a bowled or an lbw. In fact, slower ones have got him many more wickets through catches but those aren't as glamorous and thus don't get articles and social media threads written about them.
#1 Ollie Robinson
This was by far the best display of what Bumrah possesses. Whenever anyone anywhere bowls a great slower one, this would be remembered.
First the set-up; England were looking for a draw. Robinson, despite getting a bit of stick from Virat Kohli at slips, was looking determined in his defense and batting at 9 (34). With time running out, Bumrah remained patient and set the tailender up with a combination of yorkers and bouncers from over the wicket.
Whenever he came around the wicket though, he bowled to his field and mostly went with bouncers. Robbinson ducked or played them out calmly.
The Lord's pitch helped him do that too. So on the second-last ball of the 51st over of the final innings, when Bumrah came around the wicket, Robinson was standing back in the crease to fend off a bouncer or at least a length ball.
The last thing he would expected was an off-cutter that pitched in line from a fullish length and turned (yes, turned) just enough to hit him in front. The umpire gave out but India's review showed three reds.
England went down 120/8 and lost the last two wickets without scoring any more runs. India bagged a famous win.