"We've never really tinkered around with it" - Shane Bond on Jasprit Bumrah's unorthodox bowling action
Opening up on Jasprit Bumrah's unorthodox action, Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling coach Shane Bond has said the idea of modifying it never occurred to him. A lot of discussion has gone into Bumrah's bowling action and how it could potentially impact the body due to the load that it imparts.
While many have chimed in to suggest changes to Bumrah's bowling action, Bond said how he bowls makes him brilliant to work with.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the former New Zealand bowler said:
"There are certain things in his action that make him unique and that's also what makes him so great. People mention his run-up and it's probably too loose a term to actually call it that, it's more of a stuttering walk."
Bond said:
"In terms of his action, we've never really tinkered around with it. 'We've talked about where he bowls on the crease but how he bowls makes him brilliant to work with."
Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are the only Indian bowlers to have played all four Tests of the ongoing England series. Bumrah has bowled the most overs in the series for the team and is also their leading wicket-taker.
Bumrah is now one of the best in the world: Shane Bond
Bond also commented on Bumrah's rise from being on the MI bench to becoming one of the leading pacers in the world. His death-over bowling exploits in white-ball cricket, coupled with his ability with the red ball, arguably make him the perfect multi-format bowler.
Bond added:
"He was this wiry, scrawny kid who had just come off a knee reconstruction and didn't play more than a couple of games in my first season [in the IPL]. The next thing he's playing for India and he's now one of the best in the world."
The Kiwi also pointed out what makes Bumrah so different and why it is so hard for batsmen to face him out in the middle. He noted the difference in Bumrah's release point, which is wider from the one that an average bowler has. This reduces the batsman's time to adapt.
"And his bowling position, most people deliver it here (Bond lifts his bowling hand up parallel with his ear), whereas he delivers it way out in front of him so the batsman has less time to adapt."
Bond added:
"That makes his bouncer so difficult to see. Most other bowlers will use a method that's distinguishable — he just flicks the wrist and whammo, it's on you. That's why he hurries guys up."
Bumrah recently became the fastest Indian pacer to reach the milestone of 100 Test wickets.