Jasprit Bumrah – the lynchpin of the Indian pace attack who is ruling the world in this era. Currently, he is in South Africa and has just showed proved his mettle in the opening Test with a five-wicket match haul. He was a bit unlucky in Johannesburg where he grabbed just one scalp but reportedly, he was heard in the stump mic saying, “A match is still left!”
Meanwhile, former India bowling consultant and former Proteas pacer Eric Simons has heaped rich praise on the Indian quick. He said Bumrah’s bowling is a huge thumbs up for the Indian.
In an exclusive conversation with News 18.com, he opined that not many people realise the ‘maturity’ and ‘cricketing nuance’ Bumrah brings to a game along with clear thinking.
“He is one of the sharpest bowlers I have come across. When we play against him in the IPL, I try and have a chat to him. I don’t think people realise the maturity and cricketing nuance of someone like Bumrah, and generally of Indian bowlers.
“They (Indian bowlers) understand the game well. In the IPL you work with bowlers from all over the world, and I find that India’s bowlers have good, clear thinking about the game. Sometimes it might be wrong and you might disagree, but, at least, they have a thought. Bumrah is an absolute leader. But you will find that all the Indian bowlers have solid plans. The conversations that are taking place within the bowling group, you will find, are very shrewd and clever, of tactics, analysing batsmen,” Simons said.
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The former cricketer cited the example of Mohammad Shami to opine that it’s not important for the bowlers to just hit the gym for gaining fitness. Simons added that that bowling full tilt for a couple of hours in the nets was just as good.
“That’s one of the classic points of the game. To move a group of bowlers forward, you need to move individuals forward. You can’t move them all together. They each function differently. You need to understand the motivation – is it just laziness, or is it something different a cricketer needs?
“Sometimes, if you bowl too long in the nets technical problems creep in, so you need to be aware of this as well. Mohammad Shami is very lucky in that he happens to have a massive motor. I don’t think he’ll do bleep tests very well, but give him a ball and he will bowl all day. He’s blessed with that,” Simons told News18.com.
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