"Even if you play Bumrah on a cement pitch, his action is so awkward he can deceive the batters" - Basit Ali hails ace Indian pacer
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has praised ace Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his ability to deceive batters and produce impactful performances on any wicket. Thanks to his relentless accuracy, speed, and penetration, Bumrah is almost unanimously considered the world's best pacer across formats.
The 30-year-old boasts spectacular numbers with 397 wickets, including 12 five-wicket hauls, in 195 appearances for India in all three formats. Bumrah was recently the Player of the Tournament in India's incredible 2024 T20 World Cup triumph with 15 wickets at an average of 8.26 and an economy of 4.17 in eight outings.
Speaking on his YouTube channel about Bumrah, Basit Ali said [5:47]:
"Even if you play Bumrah on a cement pitch, his action is so awkward he can deceive the batters. That is the truth. That is what I call him Boom Boom. Not the rest of the bowlers. The rest of them depend on their form and rhythm."
He added:
"He comes in takes a wicket and then picks three in his next spell. He is very deceptive, his slower one is accurate. Usually, the deliveries you bowl in white-ball cricket, he picks wickets on such deliveries in the Test format. It is special."
Following the 2024 T20 World Cup, Bumrah was rested for India's white-ball tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. While the Men in Blue won the T20I series by 4-1 and 3-0 margins, they suffered a shocking 0-2 defeat to Sri Lanka in the ODIs.
Jasprit Bumrah set to return in India-Bangladesh Tests
Jasprit Bumrah will be back in action for India's two-Test series at home against Bangladesh, starting in Chennai on September 19.
While there was speculation that the champion pacer could be rested, India announced their 16-member squad for the first Test with his inclusion. Bumrah will be one of four pacers in the roster along with Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Yash Dayal.
Bumrah played four of the five Tests in India's latest Test series against England at home earlier this year. He finished as the series' third-leading wicket-taker with 19 scalps at a stunning average of 16.89 as India completed a 4-1 win.
Indian squad for the 1st Bangladesh Test:
Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.