"He is a showstopper" - Aakash Chopra says Jasprit Bumrah is a national asset
Aakash Chopra has showered huge praise on Jasprit Bumrah for his scintillating performance with the ball in the pink-ball Test against Sri Lanka.
Bumrah scalped eight wickets across Sri Lanka's two innings of the Bengaluru Test, which included a maiden five-wicket haul at home. The unconventional pacer seemed almost unplayable whenever he was handed the ball.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was effusive in his praise for Bumrah. He said:
"Jasprit Bumrah - he doesn't play at home, he plays very few matches at home but when he plays the pink-ball Test match, this guy is different. He makes things happen when nothing was happening. He is a game-changer, he is a showstopper."
The former India opener pointed out that Bumrah has drawn fans' attention to pace bowling in a batting-mad country. Chopra elaborated:
"He bowls at a speed of 140 kph, inswinger, outswinger, bouncer, yorker, slower one - I mean he is a complete bowler. We are generally a batting country, we admire batters a lot but Jassi jaisa koi nahin, he makes it exciting for people wanting to see fast-bowling skills. He brings in anticipation about what he is going to do."
Team India have been generally known for their batting might and rarely for their seam bowling. However, the emergence of the likes of Bumrah and Mohammed Shami has given a huge fillip to the pace department.
"It will be interesting how Jasprit Bumrah's workload is managed" - Aakash Chopra
While lauding Bumrah's skills, Aakash Chopra added that the speedster will have to be properly managed. He observed:
"So many variations with that kind of control and that kind of speed, you don't get that, he is that guy. It will be interesting how his workload is managed because you cannot play him all the matches, he is a national asset."
The renowned commentator concluded by putting Bumrah on a high pedestal. Chopra opined:
"He is the best bowler in the world across all formats. You might say Mitchell Starc took wickets in Karachi, he has done that now, Jasprit Bumrah is doing that daily and regularly in ODIs, T20s and Tests."
I would pay to watch Jasprit Bumrah bowl. What a bowler!
Bumrah is certainly one of the premier bowlers in world cricket across formats at the moment. His ability to pick up wickets in all conditions makes him stand apart from the other bowlers.