Visit a clothing store and you’re bound to notice innumerable hats. For a minute or two, just imagine Jasprit Bumrah purchasing all those hats and using each one of them on different days. The cue here is the Indian fast-bowling maestro seems to sport different hats as per the demands of the game and executes his weapons accordingly.
In summary, Bumrah’s bowling has turned out to be the guarantee card for the Indian team. That guarantee card was on show in the marquee India-Pakistan clash in the T20 World Cup. With Pakistan off to a steady start in a modest chase, India were in desperate need of a wicket. Enter Bumrah. He hit the pitch hard and extracted disconcerting bounce to force Babar Azam to edge one behind.
As Pakistan inched closer to a memorable win, it was once more Bumrah who made the breakthrough, cleaning up Rizwan. His heroics didn’t end there. In the penultimate over, Pakistan could eke out a mere three runs versus Bumrah’s masterclass and eventually slipped to a heartbreaking loss. It was also the right time for Bumrah to employ a range of his skills. The off-cutter was supplemented by hard length and the slower one. And then there was a low full toss, which helped him to prise out Iftikhar Ahmed.
Somehow, even Bumrah’s low full toss seems like a part of his heavy artillery, with many batters falling victim to it. His hyperextension, which means the release point is a bit further up when compared to others, and the trajectory do play a part in some of those dismissals. Simply put, his low full tosses rush the batter a little more.
This is what Bumrah had to say about his match-turning spell: “We felt we were a little under and the wicket got a little better after the sun came out. We were really disciplined so it feels good. Tried to hit the seam as much as I could, tried to be as clear as I could with my execution and it all came out well, so I felt happy.”
So, was India’s thrilling victory only down to Bumrah? Not exactly. Hardik Pandya turned out to be a perfect support cast. The all-rounder, who came under heavy scrutiny in the 2024 IPL, employed hard length on a track that had its share of uneven bounce to bag a couple of scalps. Those two wickets included the vital scalp of Fakhar Zaman, with Pakistan cruising at 73 for 2.
There was also a timely contribution from Axar Patel. The all-rounder didn’t just compile a handy innings of 20 but he kept the runs down and took a wicket. In fact, after Bumrah had dismissed Rizwan, the 16th over bowled by Axar produced only two runs.
It was a collective effort with the ball that catapulted India to an epochal victory. And just like always, Bumrah was the leader of the pack. The bowler who virtually turns into either a spinner or pacer depending on the conditions on view/situation of the game. Just makes you wonder, is there any bowling hat still missing from his cupboard?