Jasprit Bumrah's quality and not his action is the reason behind his impact: Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian captain Gautam Gambhir has attributed Jasprit Bumrah's instant impact in red-ball cricket to the quality he possesses and not the awkward action which makes him deceptive.
Bumrah has completed a highly successful three years in Test cricket, having made his debut against South Africa in January 2018. In the recent episode of the Star Sports show Cricket Connected, Gautam Gambhir was asked about the standout reason behind the huge impact Bumrah has made in red-ball cricket.
The former Indian opener responded that Bumrah's success is because of the talent and skills that he possesses. Gambhir also cited the example of Sunil Narine, who had played under his leadership for the Kolkata Knight Riders, while talking about Bumrah's awkward action.
"Quality, a lot of people might have said that his action makes him quite deceptive but that is not the case. When Sunil Narine came, he was also labelled a mystery bowler but that is not the case."
Gautam Gambhir highlighted that it does not take long for a bowler's action to be deciphered and that it is only his skills that can help him succeed over a long period of time.
"The mystery gets solved sometime or the other, you get used to player's action when you keep on playing him but it is the sort of quality and skill Jasprit Bumrah has."
"Jasprit Bumrah never lets you get relaxed" - Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir pointed out that Jasprit Bumrah can cause trouble for a batsman even when he is well set, much like how Pat Cummins, Jofra Archer and Mohammed Shami do.
"He is probably the only bowler in world cricket, I can probably think of one or two other bowlers like Pat Cummins or Jofra Archer and Mohammed Shami, when he bowls with the red ball that the batsman is never set."
Gambhir also added that a batsman can never be at ease while facing Jasprit Bumrah as he has the ability to outsmart him even with a battered cricket ball.
"He can bowl a delivery, even if you are batting on 200 runs against a 70-over old ball, which can get you out caught behind. And he never lets you get relaxed. Very few bowlers have this quality."
Jasprit Bumrah has had a meteoric rise in international cricket and has quickly assumed the role of India's premier seamer across different formats of the game. The Gujarat pacer has accounted for 79 wickets in the 17 Test matches he has played. He has led the Indian attack ably in the three matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far.
Bumrah's likely absence from the final Test of the ongoing Test series against Australia due to an abdominal strain will be a big blow to the Indian team's hopes of winning the series.