New Zealand Test captain Tim Southee has heaped praise on India's premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah by saying that he has looked "even better than what he was" before getting sidelined for the major part of 2023 with a back injury.
Bumrah was at the forefront of India's success in the recently concluded ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean. The right-arm pacer bagged 15 wickets in eight games and finished as the third-leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
He averaged 8.26 with the ball in hand and conceded runs at an economy rate of just 4.17 runs per over. Even before the World Cup, Bumrah played a monumental role in helping India beat a spirited England side under the leadership of Ben Stokes at home earlier this year.
The 30-year-old played four out of the five Tests during the Anthony de Mello Trophy and finished the series as the third leading wicket-taker behind Tom Hartley and compatriot Ravichandran Ashwin with 19 wickets.
Bumrah picked up his wickets at a much better average (16.89) compared to the top two leading wicket-takers and found success on wickets that had more in them for the spinners compared to the fast bowlers.
"To be able to firstly bounce back from the major injury and come back, he's even better than what he was beforehand. Throw in on top of that, having to juggle multiple formats, can be difficult at times as well," Southee was quoted as saying by PTI on the sidelines of the Ceat Cricket Rating Award on Wednesday.
"He seems to have been able to do that with ease as well. He's probably more experienced, understands his game a bit more. He probably had that time where he was injured to come back and be recharged, refreshed.
"We are just seeing a great version (of Bumrah) across all three formats. He's brilliant across all three at the moment. I don't think there's anyone that he's better in (better than him), he is tremendous across all three (formats)," he said.
