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India vs England: Jasprit Bumrah's childhood coach told India Today that Bumrah initially wanted to bowl only short deliveries targeting batters' heads. He was advised to develop a variety, including cutters and yorkers, to outsmart batters.

Bumrah, who began playing cricket quite late, at 16, quickly learned the trade to survive the cutthroat competition in India. He was a lean, mean teenager with a unique bowling action and a quick pace, which gave batters a hard time. No one had seen that kind of bowling action, not just in Ahmedabad but anywhere in the world. The kids of his age didn’t want to face him during the training session.

They used to whisper amongst themselves, calling him a chucker, and were scared that if their coach heard it, they would have to face the wrath.

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Trivedi noted that Bumrah's unconventional action was a major asset, but he needed to develop variations and refine his basics. Seeing other academy kids struggle against him, Trivedi believed Bumrah was destined for success.

Bumrah was quite an obedient child. He used to listen, learn, and implement brilliantly. These lessons and the ability to pick things up quickly have played a big role in his cricketing career. He is one of the world’s best pacers of the modern era, and he has used his skills brilliantly during the ongoing mega event as well.

Although his name isn’t there in the top 10 wicket-takers list of the 2026 T20 World Cup, anyone who has watched the matches would agree that Jasprit Bumrah has bowled some brilliant spells in the ongoing mega event.

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He could have become a contender for one of the best spells in this edition if India had not lost their Super 8s match to South Africa on June 24. In that match, Bumrah rattled Quinton de Kock’s stumps during the powerplay, then bowled again towards the end and dismissed Corbin Bosch in the 19th over.

Although he has taken 3 South African wickets of the 9 he has taken so far, he has struggled to take wickets consistently in the ongoing mega event.

Many former Indian cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar and Dinesh Karthik, have urged the Indian team management to let Bumrah bowl freely during the powerplay. Till March 3, he had bowled in just eight overs during the powerplay in six matches of this edition. One reason is that the Indian team management used him as a floater. A floater is a bowler who is used as per the situation of the match. The floater bowler either helps the team bounce back from a precarious situation or sits on the bench when the other bowlers perform well.

As far as Bumrah is concerned, he has been asked to bowl one of the toughest overs of the game and against the best batters of the opponent.

For instance, during the Super 8s match against the West Indies on June 20, he bowled just one over in the powerplay and was then used in the 12th, 18th, and 20th overs against the West Indies’ middle order, dismissing Shimron Hetmyer and Roston Chase.

During the Super 8s match against South Africa, which took place on June 24, he bowled two overs in the powerplay and two at the death.

JASPRIT BUMRAH’S BOWLING DISTRIBUTION IN T20 WORLD CUP

vs NAM: 7, 12, 14, 17 | (1/20)

vs PAK: 2, 4 | (2/17)

vs NED: 2, 4, 16 | (1/17)

vs SA: 2, 4, 17, 19 | (3/15)

vs ZIM: 5, 8, 13 | (0/21)

vs WI: 5, 12, 18, 20 | (2/36)

BREAKDOWN BY OVERS

0-6: 8 overs

7-14: 5 overs

15-20: 6 overs

Gautam Gambhir, head coach of the Indian team, was asked post-West Indies match about Bumrah's unusual over distribution. He explained this was to use Bumrah strategically against key opponents during crucial phases to neutralise threats.

Gambhir said the team assessed the opposition's strengths and used Bumrah as needed, particularly against formidable middle-order batters like Hetmyer, Rovman, and Sherfane, to maintain pressure and neutralize threats.

He also revealed that Bumrah was asked to bowl during the middle overs when the team was conceding runs. Whenever the team was in a crisis, Bumrah came to their rescue.

Gambhir described Bumrah as a reliable bowler who can stabilize the game when needed, emphasizing the value of this flexibility in T20 matches and the plan to continue deploying him in various situations.

JASPRIT BUMRAH: TOUCHED BY GOD

At one point, when there was an extremely strong Australian team, legendary pacers like Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee used to bowl their set overs and then wait for the tailenders to come into bat. When the opponents had lost six wickets, this duo would start their warm-up, bowl their overs, and dismiss the tailenders quickly.


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