Perth: There is a vast difference between how the world views Jasprit Bumrah and the way he sees himself. Take for instance, this question in the pre-match press conference at the Optus Stadium here and Bumrah’s reply.
It was about a medium-pace allrounder whom India might play in the series opener. The journalist didn’t name names but it was evident that Nitish Kumar Reddy was being referred to. Bumrah though was visibly appalled that he was categorised as a medium-pace allrounder.
“Medium-pace? I’ve bowled at 150 km/h. You can call me a fast bowler.”
Of course, the question wasn’t about him at all but the reply had everyone smiling and it gave us a small peek at the mindset of a bowler who could pretty much decide the fate of the series. First, as a bowler and then, as captain in the first Test. Well begun is half done and with Rohit Sharma unavailable in Perth, the onus will be on Bumrah to not just take wickets but also make the right calls on the field.
“Love responsibility”
“I don’t look at it as a post. I love responsibility and I wanted to do the tough job since I was a child,” said Bumrah. “You always want to be in the thick of things, you want to be thrown against tough scenarios… Even when Rohit is there or when Virat was there, I tried to give inputs. I tried to learn from them and, when I became a senior player and new guys started coming in, I started passing on what I learned.
“There is no greater honour than this. As a child, I always wanted to play this format and lead India. Very few players have played Test cricket for India and captains are even fewer…”
Even fewer are the number of fast bowlers who have captained India. Kapil Dev obviously comes to mind instantly and as does Lala Amarnath but they were allrounders. Bumrah had the responsibilities for one game earlier and he has shown that he is ready to step up whenever the team needs him.
With so much talk about who the next captain should be for India after Rohit, one might argue that Bumrah’s name isn’t mentioned as much as it should be. That could change if he does well at Perth.
Bowlers should make for good captains. The logic for that statement is simple. What is the job of a skipper? It is to find ways to dismiss opposition batters. What is the job of a bowler? It is to find ways to dismiss opposition batters. So, bowlers should be even more in tune with the skipper’s job than any batter can hope to be. But look around international cricket and there are very few bowling captains around.
There is, of course, Pat Cummins and he has done the job for a while. Just watching the Australian skipper talking to fellow fast bowler and skipper Bumrah at the trophy unveiling would have warmed the hearts of all those who feel pacers are short-changed especially when it comes to leadership roles.
But, captaincy is not about how good a cricketer you are — or England would have never given Mike Brearley the job and he wouldn’t have inspired Ian Botham and Bob Willis the way he did in the epic 1981 Ashes series.
So, what kind of captain is Bumrah? How does he see the game tactically? Is he like Rohit or more like Virat? There are so many questions and there is no better person to answer them than the legendary pacer himself.
“Can’t copy anyone”
“You have to find your own way; you can’t blindly copy anyone. Obviously both of them (Rohit and Virat) are very successful and gotten a lot of results, but my way… I’ve never followed a copybook plan in terms of my bowling as well as you can see, I’ve never followed a model and I go with my instincts and that’s how I’ve always played my cricket.
“And I have a lot of faith in my instincts and gut, so that is what I go with and tactically as a bowler you always make a lot of plans, you’re well aware of what to do and what adjustments you have to make during the game… “
Will this mean that Bumrah constantly talking to the young group of pacers India are likely to field? Could India’s execution of bowling plans see an unorthodox shift?
“There are different challenges but there are advantages,” said Bumrah. “I look at the advantage that I understand bowling so you understand when the wicket is changing, what changes you have to make, what field setting are good at this moment and obviously, bowlers do a lot more research and are data driven than batters because that’s how the game is headed. Yes, there will be challenges and you want to be tested. You gain experience by playing; nobody is born with experience.”
If anything, this points to India being much more dynamic in the field. Bumrah has never been one to wait for things to happen. A Bumrah spell is always about change; about making a breakthrough and maybe, his captaincy will combine all of that. But right now, he just wants to live in the moment.
“In cricket, it is important to be in the present. At this moment, I have been given a responsibility. I did it once as well and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Right now, it is one game. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, what will happen in the next game. Things change. That’s how cricket works.”
And that is how Bumrah works too.
