"I'd charge him every ball, hit him back over his head" - Ricky Ponting's cheeky take on how he would tackle Jasprit Bumrah
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting quipped he would charge down the wicket and hit Jasprit Bumrah over his head if he was still playing international cricket. On a serious note, he added that he would try to be proactive to put some pressure back on the bowler.
Leading the team in regular captain Rohit Sharma's absence, Bumrah came up with a terrific bowling effort as India beat Australia by 295 runs in the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Perth. The right-arm pacer starred with five wickets in the first innings and chipped in with three in the second.
Speaking on ICC Review, Ponting was asked how he would tackle Bumrah if he was still playing international cricket. In a somewhat cheeky manner, he replied:
"I'd charge him every ball, I'd run down the wicket, I'd hit him back over his head." On a serious note, he added, "That’s very much a joke, but I’d try to be proactive and put pressure back on the bowler. I'd be reacting to the ball, but I'd be trying to score. Like I said, the reason that he's so good is because he doesn't let you score."
“The flip side of the best bowlers not letting you score is that the best batsmen don't allow bowlers to bowl that way. That's the way I would approach it as well," the 49-year-old went on to add.
Bumrah has a terrific Test record in Australia. In eight matches, he has claimed 40 wickets at an average of 18.80, with two five-fers, which includes a best of 6-33.
Ponting compares Jasprit Bumrah to legends Curtly Ambrose and Glenn McGrath
During the interaction on ICC, Ponting compared Bumrah to fast bowling legends Curtly Ambrose and Glenn McGrath. He explained that great fast bowlers can constantly build up pressure and give nothing away, thus making life extremely difficult for the batters.
"It's the build-up of pressure. Curtly Ambrose was the same, Glenn McGrath was the same. Like any of the great fast bowlers, they make scoring difficult. You just don't score off him [Bumrah]. You don't get any runs. The best of the best make scoring difficult for batsmen, and then it makes batting uncomfortable," Ponting said.
“You forget about your instincts as a batsman, when you think about surviving and not scoring runs – that's when batting becomes really hard," he concluded.
Bumrah has featured in 41 Test matches so far and has claimed 181 wickets at an average of 20.06, with 11 five-fers.