Jasprit Bumrah shows why 'there is no ego in T20 cricket' | Cricket

He had already won us over. In a match where nearly 400 runs were scored and the rest of the bowlers returned at an average economy rate of 11.80, he picked a five-wicket haul and went for just 5.25. As if that spell wasn't enough, Jasprit Bumrah cast another to end the night. This time with the microphone in his hand.

After receiving the player of the match award for helping Mumbai Indians beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, the 30-year-old was asked by Sanjay Manjrekar if he had any tips for others in the IPL who have the tough task. of bowling at the death. While his standard response to praise is always humility, this time Bumrah went a step further and offered heartfelt advice.

“I do my research and see where the batter is strong,” he said. Sometimes the wicket is sticky and you don't need to bowl a yorker, you can bowl a bouncer or a slower ball. So you don't have to use all your tricks in one day. You have to understand where the game is going and what kind of wicket it is. There is no ego in T20 cricket. Even if you bowl at a speed of 90 miles per hour, you have to bowl them when the wicket requires slower balls. You can't be a one-track pony and just aim for the stumps and go bowling.

Manjrekar, beaming by now, could only say: Thank you very much for that insight.

That Bumrah has unparalleled bowling skills is not news; he has long established himself as a champion across all formats. In IPL 2024, he started with figures of 3/14 against Gujarat Titans, including key wickets of Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan and David Miller. In the record-breaking match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, in which his team scored 277 runs, he went with just nine to spare. He then returned with 0/26 against Rajasthan Royals, before helping MI beat Delhi Capitals for their first win with figures of 2/22.

And then came the RCB game, where all the momentum he had gathered resulted in a devastating spell. The much-awaited battle with Virat Kohli was won in just three balls, without a run conceded, as the former India skipper got an inside edge with a ball that drove home. A well-placed Faf du Plessis miscued a low, fast full toss. Mahipal Lomror was left with a sore foot as he was the first to receive a blistering yorker. And the inexperienced duo of Saurav Chauhan and Vijaykumar Vyshak had no answer to the sharp blows they received.

“He (Bumrah) comes in with the same action, bowls a fast yorker, and with exactly the same action he bowls a slower ball which probably has the biggest variation, RCB captain du Plessis said after the match. Then he has a very good bouncer “He has so many options. You know you can put him on and he can get you that wicket, but he can also be defensive when he needs to be.

That sense of awe and a touch of jealousy in du Plessis was indispensable. He even admitted that it would have been nice to have Bumrah by his side. The right-arm pacer, who is possibly at the peak of his powers at the moment, has a plethora of options at his disposal. He is a threat to take wickets when opponents are on the attack and even when they are content to play him out. It's like he can set up a hitter and dismiss him at will.

As fascinating as Bumrah's skills are, the key lies in the way he uses them. As he suggested to Manjrekar in the post-match interaction, the trick lies in reading situations. What really sets him apart is that he manages to outwit the best hitters in the world. He puts extra effort into preparation and, in a sense, makes his own luck.

You have to have bad days to learn from them,” said Bumrah. “What I have done in the past is whenever I had a bad day, I watched the videos with a calm mind on the nest day. What didn't work? why didn't it work? How did I play? So you have to be on board with all these things because these days you just can't show up and say, okay, I'll do this, maybe this will work.

“For me, preparation is always the key. If you prepare well, you put yourself under pressure in the nets, you bowl to batters who can hit big sixes. You bowl to them, you see how you react to stress, you see how “You respond to pressure. Then you start to find answers. It is very important for me to keep pushing myself during training. Then on race day you have answers that, okay, when I had the same pressure in training, I had answers.”