Jasprit Bumrah: Story of art and an artist

Kolkata, Mar 1 (PTI) Jasprit Bumrah is the 'Sachin Tendulkar' of Indian bowling.

Inarguably, for India's greatest fast bowler across formats, the only aspect where one can't compare him with Tendulkar is perhaps longevity. Tendulkar played international cricket for 24 years starting at at the age of 16, Bumrah might play 10 years less.

They (Tendulkar and Bumrah) were practitioners of different 'art' forms. But in terms of sheer impact, cricketing intelligence, supreme control over one's craft and, last but not the least, turning up on big stage, Bumrah has no peers.

There is another big similarity for all those who have seen Tendulkar in earlier days and Bumrah now go through their routines before big games. Tendulkar, after a certain point, didn't use to bat against the Indian bowlers in the nets. It would either be Gary Kirsten or Raghu giving him hundreds of throwdowns.

Similarly for Bumrah, he would bowl a few deliveries to the batters but his practice sessions are always about his plans and what exactly he wants to bowl.

Recently before the game against South Africa in Motera, the batters were having a centre wicket practice while Bumrah went to the nets outside the main arena and was perfecting his blockhole deliveries, keeping bowling coach Morne Morkel's size 12 trainers close to the base of the stumps.

As he was bowling, his new ball partner in Tests, Mohammed Siraj, jokingly said: "Jassi bhai, yeh toh aapko raat ke do baaje koi neend se jagaye, tab bhi aap usi jagah pe daloge".

These are casual statements but ones where a teammate's reverence for his senior partner comes across. Bumrah indeed is one his kind.

Bumrah laughed and continued with his routine until he regularly hit the length on which Morkel's sneaker was kept, and it got damaged. He doesn't always need to win the 'Player of the Match' award but scan through scorecards of any of India's marquee games, Bumrah has set the stage for emphatic Indian wins. At times, his teammates have complemented and at times, they haven't. But in this edition of T20 World Cup, none of the other Indian players have been able to create the kind of magic moments that the genial megastar from Ahmedabad has created.

Whether the toe crusher that got Saim Ayub of Pakistan or shaking Ryan Rickleton up with a peach of a delivery that that tailed in and missed the outside edge of his bat, deviating off the surface. And then bowling a slower delivery which had him rooted to the crease and lobbing it off at mid-off.

Or for that matter, on Sunday against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens, where he could have had Roston Chase twice in a single game. First one where he hurried the batter into mistiming an aerial shot which Abhishek Sharma spilled. The second time was when he quickly changed to an off-break grip without any visible change to his arm-speed. This time, Chase was gone.

Leave aside Netherlands and Namibia, Bumrah has bowled 32 dot balls in four games against full Test members, which is eight dot balls on an average per game.

At times, Bumrah seems like that puppeteer, with an invisible thread wrapped around his fingers and the batters are dancing to his tunes.

And think of it, a few months back in 2025, people questioned his commitment when he played only three Tests in England. His only 'fault' was he didn't make a song and dance after going into the tour and was clear that his body could only take rigors of three games in the UK.

But his commitment was questioned and he was hauled through the coals. People forgot that six months prior to that, he played all five Tests on hard Australian grounds where the feet takes double the pounding. He bowled and bowled till his lower back gave up. He missed the Champions Trophy and played the IPL and the familiar voices cropped up that "No one wants to miss the IPL Gravy Train".

But would the same voices question Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins' commitment towards Australia with both missing T20 World Cup due to injuries and could well be available for the IPL? If one watches Bumrah from close quarters and talks to people who know him a bit, he is an extremely secured individual, who wouldn't care two hoots about how people perceive him.

He has an invisible net around him and very few people can pierce through that. One may try to peel off the layers but he won't give away an inch, just like the lengths he bowls to the world's leading batters, who can't manoeuvre at their whims and fancies.

He is a man who wouldn't leave Ahmedabad for the world. Mumbai might have its own charm but Ahmedabad is his peace nest. Here he can drop off his infant son to play school without prying eyes looking at him and may be drive off to the pickleball court with his close friends for a couple of games in the wee hours of night.

His fragile body didn't allow the national selectors to make him a long term captain but he is a leader within the group for showing the way how to win games.

Jasprit Bumrah practises a complex art but is a simple man at heart. He is a tribe in his own. PTI KHS KHS PDS PDS