5 times an opponent lavished praise on Jasprit Bumrah ft. Ollie Robinson
Jasprit Bumrah became the first bowler to achieve the number one position in ICC Rankings for all three formats last week. The right-arm pacer has instilled fear in the minds of the batters with his excellent bowling skills and hard-to-pick action.
Looking at his numbers in international cricket so far, Bumrah has taken 155 wickets in 34 Tests, 149 wickets in 89 ODI matches, and 74 scalps in 61 T20I innings.
Unfortunately, Jasprit Bumrah has never won an ICC trophy, but he has earned heaps of praise, not just from his fans and teammates, but also from his rivals. Here's a list of five instances where the opposition players showered praise on the Indian pacer.
#1 "Oh my goodness, can this guy get any better?"- Ollie Robinson
In his recent column for Wisden, England pacer Ollie Robinson expressed how Bumrah's bowling in India's second Test against England left him awestruck. Here's what Robinson wrote about Bumrah:
"The way he got Popey out, I was like, ‘Oh my, this guy’s a joke.’ And then he got Foakesy out with a slower ball and I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness, can this guy get any better?’ You watch him and you think, ‘Wow, he’s good.’ And then there’s something else where you think, ‘He’s amazing, can he do anything more?’"
#2 "Jasprit Bumrah might have options better than me too"- Lasith Malinga
Just a month before the India vs Sri Lanka T20I series in 2019/20, Sri Lankan skipper Lasith Malinga lauded Bumrah's skills. He even claimed that the Indian pacer had better options than him. Speaking with cricket.com, Malinga, who played with Bumrah for Mumbai Indians, said:
"Jasprit might have options better than me too for getting inputs; he has the kind of brain which can collect and work on all advises he gets. It is evident from how he executes his yorkers and slower balls, it is just unbelievable how he does it. He is very hungry to learn.”
#3 "It is tough to get him away at the end"- Martin Guptill
Former New Zealand opener Martin Guptill scored a lot of runs on home soil during his T20I career. However, the Kiwi batter struggled to tackle Bumrah's pace and swing during the series between India and New Zealand in 2020. Speaking about Bumrah's versatility in death overs, Guptill said:
"Lot of swing and misses. We were trying but we were facing one of the best death bowlers in the world (Jasprit Bumrah). It is tough to get him away at the end."
#4 "He has been a class bowler for a long time"- Ross Taylor
During the same T20I series, Ross Taylor also talked about his troubles while facing Bumrah. Despite batting in home conditions, Taylor could not judge Bumrah to perfection. Speaking after the first T20I of the series in 2020, Taylor said:
"He (Bumrah) has been a class bowler for a long time and one of the best death bowlers going around. He has a potent slow ball, and that extra pace, so you have to adapt to both the slower and quicker ball."
#5 "I have a lot of respect for him"- Mohammad Abbas
During Bumrah's career, there has been a lot of talk about his awkward action. Some fans have suggested that he should change his action to avoid injuries. However, Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas backed Bumrah and told PakPassion.Net:
"When you bowl a certain way, it can take a long time to change an action which is natural to the bowler and also increases the chances of injury as well. I have a lot of respect for him and think he’s a fantastic bowler."