Former Australia captain Allan Border has showered praise on Jasprit Bumrah during the Gabba Test match. Bumrah, who has been the standout bowler in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far, has picked up 18 wickets already.
Speaking about the pacer, Border said that there was little difference between West Indies legend Malcolm Marshall and the “remarkable” Jasprit Bumrah, stating that he has never seen “anyone like him” in his life.
Bumrah, who took six for 76 in Australia’s first innings in the ongoing third Test here, has been the most consistent bowler in the five-Test series against Australia, claiming 18 wickets so far. He is now the second Indian, after Kapil Dev, to take 50 Test wickets in Australia.
“I can’t properly compare him to Marshall because I never faced Bumrah but just watching him there is not much (between them). Bumrah is remarkable. He rarely bowls a spell without taking a wicket. He is different,” Border told the News Corp.
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“Because of his action, he lets the ball go later. And he smiles all the time. He can beat a batsman three times in a row and smile each time. I have never seen anyone like him,” he added.
An all-format bowler, Bumrah took five for 30 in a memorable first-innings display and three for 42 in the second innings to guide India to a 295-run win in the Perth Test recently.
Bumrah has taken 10 five-wicket hauls outside Asia, surpassing Kapil Dev’s record of nine. The 31-year-old from Ahmedabad has three five-wicket hauls in Australia, three in South Africa, and two each in the West Indies and England.
Bumrah’s bowling average of 17.82 (minimum 20 wickets) in Australia, statistically make him the best visiting bowler in more than 100 years, surpassing the likes of Richard Hadlee (whose 77 scalps came at a marginally higher 17.83 runs per wicket), Curtly Ambrose (78 wickets at 19.79 in Australia) and Michael Holding (63 at 24.22).
While Border was awed by Bumrah, Virat Kohli caught ire from the former Australia captain. Speaking on Day 3 of the Brisbane Test, Border hit out at Kohli for playing an unnecessary shot against a ball that could have been left alone. The former battered wondered whether Kohli had lost his edge.
“Today’s dismissal, that’s normally a delivery he would have left alone if he was in his best possible form,” former Australian captain Allan Border was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.
“I’m not sure what’s going on with Virat mentally (and) whether he’s just lost that edge,” he further added.
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