Internet Desk: India’s limited-overs pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah bowled brilliantly on Sunday to take his first five wicket haul in ODI against Sri Lanka at Pallekele. With this win the Men in Blue have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 5-match ODI series. Bumrah looked really happy that the team management have given him the chance to bowl with the new ball. According to the Gujarat pacer he just wants to give his best for the team and for that if the team management asks him to bowl at first-change, he would happily do that.
“I am happy as far as I am able to contribute to the team’s success. If the team wants me to bowl first-change, I am happy to do that. If they want me to bowl with the new ball, I am happy to do that. I have bowled with the new ball before when I came into the Indian team in the T20 formats. I shared the new ball with Ashish (Nehra) bhai. I think after a period of time you understand what to do with the new ball. I have been bowling first-change for Gujarat and in the IPL as well, I have got a little bit of experience there as well. It’s always good to contribute to the team’s success, be it with the new ball or the old ball,” said Bumrah at the post match press-conference.
This is Bumrah’s first tour at Sri Lanka. According to Bumrah the inputs from his seniors is helping him in this series as their experience is helping him to bowl well on the Lankan soil and by doing so he is learning new things too.
“As a bowler you have to constantly have to learn new things and that’s been my main aim all the time because this is my first visit to Sri Lanka and I have never played here so it is always a challenge to play in different conditions and I look to do that and asking questions to seniors what experience they have gained for so many years. I look to do that and this basic change that has come in me that I always learn nowadays because as a youngster you don’t know what place you have to go and learn. So the change that has come from experience is helping me as well.”
Bumrah is regarded as World’s one of the best death over bowlers and he proved that again in the 3rd ODI against Sri Lanka. In the death over’s he used the slower deliveries really well and the Sri Lankan batsmen had no clue how to score runs against him.
“The last wicket was a bit on the slower side so that time I thought I have to use your variations and slower balls because the ball was not coming onto the bat. This wicket when we started the ball was seaming a bit so you try to use that to our advantage, bowl a good line and length, try to get good results from the wicket, so we tried to do that and it was a good day it worked in our favour,” said Bumrah.
He has played with Sri Lanka’s star pacer Lasith Malinga in IPL for Mumbai Indians. Bumrah credited Malinga too for his bowling as he has learnt a lot from the veteran bowler.
“It is not always the general performance that is valuable, he has been there in Mumbai Indians when I was a 19 year old in 2013, I was a kid who didn’t play first class cricket so talking to him and learning from him is always valuable. He has been there for 3-4 years so I have learnt a lot from him. So over the years it has helped me quite a lot and going forward in international cricket you talk to a lot of senior bowlers so that also is helpful. I think every bit of knowledge that you get is very important,”.
India’s star opener Rohit Sharma played a match winning innings against Sri Lanka to take his side home, He scored his 12th ODI century and remained unbeaten till the end along with former India skipper MS Dhoni. Bumrah lauded his team mate for playing a match saving innings as at one stage India were in trouble at 70/4.
“It was a great innings, we were in trouble at 70 for 4. He needed to take responsibility and he did that. It was great to see him playing with Mahi bhai. It was great to see their partnership take us over the line. It was a good win. It’s always good to see when a player wins you a game. He has been doing so well for so many years. It’s always good to see one of his great innings,” told Bumrah.
Bumrah gave a lot of credit to India coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun for his success. According to him both have them have helped him play cricket without taking any additional pressure.
“When I came into the Indian, Ravi sir was the team director so… the basic thing that he told me to do is to treat it as a Ranji Trophy game I would play for Gujarat. Because if you play for India, then you take on extra pressure, and that won’t help you express yourself. What he told me in the first match is still with me. Bharat Arun sir has been there, he has seen me since my under-19 days, before I played in the IPL or anything at the NCA. It’s always good to talk to him about my bowling. He knows a lot about my bowling. It’s always good to work with such an experienced coach who has seen so much of your bowling,” concluded Bumrah.