Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke praised Jasprit Bumrah for his unbelievable performance in the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand. Bumrah returned with impressive figures of 4-15 in his quota of four overs and was awarded Player of the Match after India registered a comprehensive 96-run win.

The gun fast bowler took 14 wickets in the tournament at an average of 12.43 and a splendid economy rate of 6.21, which was the best for any bowler. 

Clarke praised Bumrah for bamboozling the New Zealand batters’ with slower deliveries in the summit clash in Ahmedabad.

“The underrated thing about Bumrah is the skill options he has. The execution is perfect 99 times out of the 100. But its the options, like a lot of fast bowlers dont have that many options. Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood are geniuses. Can you remember any of them getting three out of a four or five-wicket haul in any format with so many slower balls? Bumrah can bowl 145 with a brand new ball and get you out upfront. Death bowling, he’s got the best yorker. Three slower ball wickets. He’s watched his team bat, assessed the conditions. Just a different class with skill level,” Michael Clarke said on Beyond23 cricket podcast.

On the other hand, Clarke reckons India’s young players have gained confidence while playing in front of the huge crowd in the IPL. The 2015 World Cup-winning captain rated Virat Kohli as the best ODI player he has ever seen.

“Some of these young players in the Indian team play with greats of the game in their own team, playing finals and IPL cricket with 100,000 people watching. So you’re feeling the same the exact same pressure of a World Cup final in a domestic tournament. So that is significant with why they’re so good at T20 cricket. One-day cricket, they have always been brilliant, and Virat Kohli is the leader. He’s the best one-day player I have ever seen,” he added.

Indian players will be next seen in action in the IPL.