Jasprit Bumrah mentors Indian pacer with ‘knowledgeable’ discussions: ‘Not easy to follow in his footsteps’

Jasprit Bumrah has turned into a force to reckon with across formats. He has rescued the Indian team on numerous occasions with his ability to pick wickets with both new and old balls. He has been the leader of the Indian pace unit for the past few years and played a pivotal role in their recent domination across formats. India's Jasprit Bumrah, centre, celebrates with teammates during the first Test against Bangladesh.(AP)

With 15 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2024, Bumrah played a major role in India’s title triumph. He also turned the tide in India's favour during the final against South Africa with a brilliant spell in the death overs.

The 30-year-old also had impressive outing with the red-ball against Bangladesh in Chennai where he claimed a four-fer in the first innings to break the visitors back early with the new ball.

Being the leader of the pack, Bumrah mentors the young bowlers in the set-up to analyse the situations of the game with his valuable insights.

Akash Deep, who debuted earlier this year during the England series, opened up on sharing a dressing room with Bumrah and how the senior paceman helped him understand the mindset of batters.

“I regularly talk to him and observe his bowling. Woh bilkul alag hain; bhagwan ne unhe alag hi banaya hai (He’s completely different, God has made him different). I take a lot of tips from him and have learned a lot. I discussed 'mindset' with him and once asked him about the mindset while bowling to a particular batsman. He provided me with valuable tips and answers to my query,” Akash told Times of India.

‘Not easy to follow in Jasprit Bumrah’s footsteps'

Bumrah recently completed 400 wickets in international cricket, becoming the 10th Indian bowler to achieve the feat.

In 196 international matches, Bumrah has taken 401 wickets at an average of 21.01, with the best bowling figures of 6/19. He is the only sixth Indian pacer to reach this milestone.

However, Akash admitted that it's not an easy job to follow Bumrah's footsteps as he has the special ability to read what a batter is trying to do.

“He is such a knowledgeable person, and that reflects in his bowling. His ability to read a batter before he bowls is amazing. He is a gifted bowler, and it’s not easy to follow in his footsteps,” he added.

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