Well, let’s just put it this way. There are fast bowlers and then there’s a certain Jasprit Bumrah. Truth is, there was a time where the discussion surrounding the best fast bowlers used to usually concern the likes Australia’s Glenn McGrath, West Indies’ Curtly Ambrose, Pakistan’s Wasim Akram, and South Africa’s Allan Donald. Those were feisty times, weren’t they?
At around the same time, world cricket had four of the most devastating and lethal pace bowlers. Your feared their yorkers, you were terrorized by their short pitched stuff. The bouncers- let’s not talk about them at all? Ask the batsmen!
But that was then. What about now? Surely, the tag of one of the most dangerous bowlers in international cricket today rests with India’s Jasprit Bumrah. While surely, the likes of South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada and Australia’s Mitchell Starc have more pace and offer a brutal bouncer on occasions, none have been able to match the consistency with which India’s ring leader of pace attack Jasprit Bumrah has held the stage.
He’s, truth be told, in a league of his own. At 26 years, he already has 231 international wickets against his name, including 104 in ODIs alone. This graph is continuously growing and the number of batsmen who have been outsmarted is also swelling game after game. And maybe that is why in lines with his unflinching consistency, signs of which were evident in India’s last tour to New Zealand, a certain Australian batsman has gone ga-ga about Ahmedabad-born fast bowler.
So who was this Australian cricketer and what did he exactly say about Jasprit Bumrah?
Interestingly, none other than Marnus Labuschagne has offered some kind words about the dangerous fast bowler from India, a proven specialist in the limited overs game.
Lest it is forgotten that Marnus Labuschagne has been in terrific form in the game’s most challenging format: Test match cricket. His exploits in the summer of 2019 are known to us all.
Here’s what the dominant right hander had to say ahead of India’s forthcoming tour to India in 2020, that’ll be among the most-awaited and widely-followed cricketing contests in a long time:
“They are all good bowlers but it is hard to get past Jasprit Bumrah.” But the middle-order batsman also went to add, “He has the ability to consistently bowl around 140 kmph and swing the ball when conditions are suitable. He is also able to angle the ball back in at the stumps. You always want to test yourself against the best. Jasprit is probably the leader of that attack.”
All of that said, is Jasprit Bumrah the only thrilling presence in India’s pace attack that the dogged Australians will have to watch out for? What about the other in-form fast bowlers in Ishant Sharma and Mohd. Shami?
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In what can only be described as high-octane contests that’ll be about the dominance of the bat versus ball narrative, one will find it hard to focus on anything else when the real action on 22 yards will be about Jasprit Bumrah going all guns blazing against Steve Smith, Dave Warner, and Marnus Labuschagne.
Isn’t it?
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