Jasprit Bumrah says he expected one-day India A call up, surprised by inclusion in longer format
Jasprit Bumrah is a rising young bowler who has done well in the Indian Premier League. He has a diffferent bowling action which makes it difficult for the batsman to pick him. He shot to the limelight in IPL 6 when he dismissed Virat Kohli.
Bumrah currently plays for the Mumbai Indians and he had a fairly good season. Bumrah was picked up by the Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise on the basis of just two Twenty20 domestic games. His efforts have now been rewarded as he has got a call-up to the India A squad for two unofficial Tests in Australia. The quick bowler from Gujarat has said that he was expecting the call.
“The preparatory camp is going well. We will be going to Australia, so it has been really good preparation before that. I did well in my first Ranji season so it was very pleasing. I never thought I will get selected, I was trying to do my best. I did well with 38 Ranji wickets, did well in the 50-overs competition as well and even IPL was decent,” he said.
“I always think of doing well and things will fall in place. It will be a good experience for me to play in Australia and it will be a good learning curve. Most of the international players are there in the Australian A squad as well, so it will be challenging but a learning experience. I will be playing four-day matches on different wickets, the ball will behave different and there is a lot of scope to learn,” he further added.
Talking about his favourite format of the game, he said: “I love all formats. Even in the four-day games I like to bowl long spells, and in one-dayers I enjoy death bowling. The longer format is a bigger test and the game challenges you in regards to how consistent you are. You have to be really patient and in one-dayers early on you have to take wickets and then think of containing at the end, and bowl more variations. I am confident in the one-day format because I have variations but I did not expect selection for the four-day games. I was hoping I will get a chance in the one-dayers.”
Bumrah’s action has been his strength. Running in with a very short run-up, his non-bowling arm does not even go up to the shoulders as normally is the case and he delivers from wide of the crease.
When asked the unusal action, he commented: “My action is different. I tried to make it my strength and somewhere the action does come to me naturally and it helps in getting good inswing as well. I have worked on many things and I do have a good outswinger as well. The action just came to me. Earlier, when I was small, I tried to copy a lot of guys but as I grew older this action stuck to me. The good thing is that no one really tried to change my action ever and all the concentration has been to make my body stronger.”