Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has showered praise on the team’s gun fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as he stated that the bowler always wants to keep getting better than yesterday.
Bumrah has always looked to improve his bowling and as a result, he has been able to take giant strides at the top level.
Before the series, the Little Master predicted that he won’t be surprised if Bumrah takes two five-wicket hauls against a beleaguered Sri Lankan team. Bumrah picked the eighth five-wicket haul of his Test career and the first of this series against Sri Lanka. The ace paceman returned with impressive figures of 5-24 in his 10 overs.
Bumrah got the help under lights on an opening day and took three wickets as he got the ball to swing and he also hit the right areas.
The fast bowler dismissed Kusal Mendis and Lahiru Thirimanne with out-swinging deliveries whereas outwitted Angelo Matthews with a slower ball. Subsequently, he removed Lasith Embuldeniya and Niroshan Dickwella with short-pitched deliveries on the second day. Furthermore, he plumbed Lahiru Thirimanne for a duck in the second dig.
Thus, he played a key role in skittling out the opposition at only 109 runs in the first innings. In fact, this was Bumrah’s first wicket haul in the Indian conditions and he has only played four Test matches at home. Moreover, Bumrah is playing his 29th Test match and he equaled Kapil Dev’s record of taking eight five-wicket hauls after playing same number of Test matches.
“So much of skill, so much of ability, so much of belief in himself and he always wants to get better than yesterday. And that is why he has been so successful. He has got better and better every match. Yes again, it happens in every cricketer’s career, he might have the odd barren period, but he will be the bowler that the opposition batsman will not want to face,” said Gavaskar while speaking to Star Sports.
“Under lights with the ball full pitched up like that and coming at a speed of 140kph, little bit difficult sometimes for the batsman to pick. But during daylight, it might not be that difficult. But the skillset and variety he has no batsman can feel at ease. He has got this ability to get the batsman out when the batter is set. With the new ball, you are expected to get the batter out because that is your strength as a bowler. It’s a hardball or a new ball, the ball will move in the air, and then it will seam after pitching, but when you get a batter out when he is set that tells you how good a bowler he is. And that is Jasprit Bumrah is,” he added.
Bumrah has taken giant strides as a bowler since making his Test debut and he would look to continue the good form.
