Jasprit Bumrah: The man who reignited the familiar fire on Calypso soil
Jasprit Bumrah continued to bowl with pace and fire as he picked up his first-ever Test hat-trick against West Indies on Saturday.
Fiery bowling in West Indies has been a dying art. While the likes of Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell does excite you and give one hope, a watch of ‘Fire in Babylon’ will tell you all about the fiery pacers the West Indians had and what these don’t.
Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Colin Croft and Andy Roberts would terrorize batsmen around the world for a generation. The following had, Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh but as the century turned, the breed died but over the past two weeks, there is deja vu on West Indian soil all over again.
In the early 70s, Windies cricket was all about fun and no results. The term ‘Calypso Cricket’ was formed but under Clive Lloyd -- a leader by birth it seemed, the men from the Caribbean turned serial winners. It was fun and games no more but serious business and 40 years from then, India led by Virat Kohli is turning on the heat much like that.
India have dominated the Windies in the two Tests they have played but one man has been on the forefront of it -- Jasprit Bumrah.
In Antigua, he single-handedly dismantled the hosts with a display of fine outswingers. In Jamaica, he went back to his stock inswingers and the result was no different. There are very few bowlers who could do both with such devastating effect and Bumrah is reaching new heights every day. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and James Anderson are the two names that pop up in this day and age but to do it over 140 clicks consistently, you need to be special and in Bumrah, India have got someone special.
A week back, when Bumrah came on to bowl, the breeze blew from right to left in the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, that day, Bumrah used the outswingers to deadly effect. He ran through the Windies batting and got five wickets for seven runs in eight overs. On Sunday, he used his familiar tool and at the end of the day, Bumrah ended with six wickets for just 16 runs from 9.1 overs.
His hat-trick was undeniable on Sunday. At first, he got John Campbell to edge one behind with consistent line and length and even Kohli was wowed by the amazing ability of his marksman. Then came the nagging delivery to Darren Bravo. Outside off, steep height and edged to second slip. The following two were rank inswingers at pace, which Shamarh Brooks and Roston Chase had no answer to. Chase did review though and Bumrah didn’t appeal. It was Kohli, who went for the review despite the lack of enthusiasm from a bowler, who is on a hat-trick...quite unusual, ain’t it? But, the shy smile and little hop that followed after the decision went his way showed why the 25-year-old is a special, special talent and a wonderful human being.
Overall, Bumrah has 11 wickets for 23 runs in 103 balls over two spells -- that’s a craftsman at the top of his game. And, what makes him even more special is the fact that he isn’t trying hard enough.
No! It’s not said in a negative way.
Bumrah is much more than his stock delivery and pace. He can bowl yorkers for fun and bounce you out if necessary. He can pitch it up and swing it both ways, he can come round the wicket and make the bowl move and thanks to his learning curve in the IPL, he can completely fool you with a slower yorker when you are least expecting.
Bumrah has wowed everyone around the world and his heroics in Antigua earned him the praise of the highest order.
“In my time, it was all spin. Good ones, but they wouldn’t win you matches overseas. India had Kapil Dev and some others, but we never thought they could produce someone as lethal as Bumrah. He’s the best Indian fast bowler I have seen,” says Roberts.
“At times, he rekindles memories of our prime. The pace, aggression, the hostility, the craft. The way he outclasses the batsmen, the way he out-thinks them. He could have been one of us, he’s so complete a bowler that he could have played in any era,” said Ambrose.
Bumrah like Ian Bishop said is a once in a lifetime talent. His rise has been nothing short of magnificent. 60 wickets in 12 Tests and five-wicket hauls everywhere he has been, is no mean feat and the best part is, he is about to learn and get even better.
Indeed. He is once in a lifetime, he could have been one of the four horsemen that ruled world cricket but now he is India’s to protect and the world’s to be cherished.
Bumrah will have one more fire to light before leaving the Caribbean shores but the lasting impression he left over the two weeks, will leave a smile on the faces of the greats and excitement among the fans to have him back again.
Until then, if you are an Indian, cherish him and if you're from the West Indies, witness and enjoy it first hand for a week more.