Jasprit Bumrah has emerged as India’s bowling spearhead in yet another T20 World Cup edition, and the 32-year-old will undoubtedly be the man in focus during the semi-final match against England on Thursday on his IPL home ground – the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Bumrah’s calm and supreme arsenal of skills has helped him gather nine wickets in six matches thus far this World Cup. And while that isn’t the highest among the Indian bowlers – Varun Chakaravarthy leads with 12 wickets – Bumrah’s jaw-dropping 6.30 economy has constricted oppositions throughout the tournament.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri praised Bumrah’s unrivalled skillset and game awareness during the ICC Review Podcast on the eve of the semi-final. “Every over he bowls, you know it’s an event. He doesn’t give too many runs away, but he can crack open a game – just like he did against West Indies,” remarked Shastri.
“Those wickets don’t come by fluke. There’s a deep thought process behind each delivery, total awareness of who he is bowling to, and understanding of the situation. That’s what makes him so special in the big moments,” he explained.
Australia legend Ricky Ponting also highlighted the strategic challenge that batters face while taking on Bumrah.
“The opposition knows that someone like Jasprit very rarely goes for over 20 runs in his four overs. You need to go harder against the other bowlers and ensure you don’t let him have a game-changing over,” Ponting said in the same conversation.
“Keeping wickets in hand to attack other bowlers will be key, but he will definitely be a talking point in the semi-final.”
Bumrah produced a match-defining over against West Indies in the do-or-die Super 8 contest at the Eden Gardens in . Walking away with figures of two for 36, Bumrah’s twin strikes of the dangerous and Roston Chase eventually meant that the Windies were restricted to 195, a score that the hosts gunned down with four balls to spare and sealed the semi-final spot.
