Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has showered praise on Jasprit Bumrah for his exemplary performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Bumrah was the pick of the Indian bowlers in the T20I showpiece and played an instrumental role in taking the team to glory.
The gun fast bowler scalped 15 wickets in eight matches of the tournament at an impressive average of 8.27 and a parsimonious economy rate of 4.18.
Furthermore, Bumrah was brilliant against arch-rivals Pakistan, returning with impressive figures of 3-14 in his quota of four overs. The ace pacer had bamboozled Mohammed Rizwan with a slower and Shastri reckons it was the turning point in the game.
“I think India-Pakistan because India were made to fight there and realize what the right combination should be going forward in the tournament. That and then of course the final, those final five overs [from the T20 World Cup final],” Shastri said on ICC Review.
“I’d say one was Jasprit [Bumrah] getting Mohammad Rizwan. Extremely crucial, because that could have tilted the balance of the game. And it happened on the first ball of a new spell,” he added.
Shastri hailed Bumrah for his control and compared him to legendary bowlers like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shane Warne.
“He just showed the world what it takes and you know, it’s not often in your career when you have a ball in your hand and you say, do this and the ball does that. Very few have done it, I thought Wasim [Akram] and Waqar [Younis] had it in their prime when they played white-ball cricket. Shane Warne had it where he could literally tell the ball, go there, pitch there, hit leg stump. People who are on top of the game have that ability. I think Bumrah had that in this World Cup,” Shastri remarked.
On the other hand, Shastri hailed Rishabh Pant for his positive comeback after recuperating from a horrific car accident. Pant not only impressed one and all with his batting but also with his glovework.
“He did his job with the bat, but it was his keeping that really surprised everyone. For someone to recover that quickly and then move the way he did. He hardly missed anything, albeit he must have felt the pressure as the tournament got on because it’s not easy to come back and do all the stuff he did,” Shastri said.
India will take on Sri Lanka in the second ODI at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Sunday.
