How a Durga Puja gave India’s Test team its Bumrah X-factor

Jasprit Bumrah with his teammates in the Perth Test
Jasprit Bumrah with his teammates in the Perth Test (PC: Debasis Sen)

After 150 all out, millions of Indian cricket followers were hoping for a miracle. And the leader delivered. So much so that former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, on his way to Jeddah, messaged and asked how he could watch the game in Dubai on his phone. He did not want to miss the Bumrah spell! 

His 6-over spell at the Optus stadium is now part of Indian cricket folklore. Conceding just 9 runs in six overs, Bumrah had the openers and the big fish in Steve Smith with sublime skill to open up the Test match for India. More than the wickets, the scarring he inflicted on the confidence of the Australian batsman could go on to win India a very important Test in Perth if they can continue with the momentum on day 2.

I shudder to think that Bumrah was once considered a white-ball specialist. His awkward action was deemed unfit for Test cricket and not many gave him a chance till a fateful Durga Puja afternoon in Kolkata changed it all. 

India were playing Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens at the time and the Indian team management had been invited to a Durga Puja organised by former CAB Secretary Biswarup Dey. Not having seen a puja in years, both Ravi Shastri and Bharat Arun were excited to undertake the journey from the hotel to Bowbazar in the heart of North Kolkata. It was at the pandal that someone raked up the topic of the South Africa series scheduled for the end of the year. 

“Yes, that’s where Ravi first told me about his thoughts on Jasprit Bumrah,” Arun recalled during one of our many conversations. “During his years in commentary, Ravi was exposed to the best in the world and that helped him develop a profound eye for talent. Also, he has always loved the West Indians with an action close to Bumrah, for he feels they make it slightly more difficult for the batsmen.” 

“We were in the car, and the South Africa series had been playing in my mind for a while,” Shastri would say later. “I wanted a fast bowler who could surprise everyone and could be the X-factor in our bowling attack. Bumrah was our man. That’s when I asked Bharat to have a word with him and tell him to be ready for the series.”

When Bharat called Bumrah from the car with Ravi beside him, he was pleasantly surprised. “Clearly, he was not expecting the call,” said Bharat. “The moment I mentioned it to him, he warmed up to the idea and said he would be delighted to play Test cricket, for he always wanted to make a mark in the long form for India. He was a little upset with people labelling him a white-ball bowler and this was his opportunity to change things.” 

Bumrah, a perfectionist, grabbed the opportunity with both hands. And when the Indians first stepped out in South Africa, he was the surprise inclusion in the attack. The rest, as they say, is history. What Ravi also did was not tell anyone else about the plan. “We had to keep it under wraps,” he recalled. “That was part of the plan. We wanted Bumrah to remain under the radar and unleash him at the start of the Test series. That’s why we did not mention it to anyone else.”

Needless to say, it was a call that transformed India’s bowling attack in red-ball cricket, and gave rise to the best all-format bowler in the world. “The only apprehension was if he could last,” said Bharat. “That’s where you have to give him all the credit. He has worked extremely hard on his fitness and the results are visible to everyone.”

In sport, we always speak of moments. This was certainly one of them that changed Indian cricket. Whether Bumrah the leader can change the fate of this Test match and the series is now to be seen.