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Indian captain Virat Kohli has rated Jasprit Bumrah as the “best bowler in the world” and someone even he would be “scared to face” on a bouncy Perth wicket.
Courtesy Bumrah’s best bowling figures 9 for 86, India defeated the hosts Australia by 137 runs in the third Test to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series.
Kohli also opened up about Bumrah’s work ethic and his impact on the team during the post-match media interaction.
The star batsman feels that it is Bumrah’s mindset what separates him from anyone else in the world right now.
Here are the excerpts from Kohli’s media interaction:
On Bumrah’s influence
Jasprit obviously is the best bowler in the world, as per me. He is a match winner, without doubt, even if he has only been playing (Test cricket) for 12 months. I mean if there was a pitch like Perth, I wouldn’t want to face Jasprit Bumrah to be honest because if he gets on a roll, he can really crank it up. The way he bowls is so much more different to anyone and I think he realizes that more than the batsmen. That’s why he is so confident about his skills.
On Bumrah’s transformation
I think the fact that he was showing amazing levels of energy and fitness in white-ball cricket and hence he was so good because he was not giving runs with the new ball. He was getting wickets; he would come back in the death overs and not bowl one loose delivery. He was training like he wanted to play Test cricket. He was that obsessed about his fitness levels and his work ethics. So we discussed before South Africa that if we put him as a surprise package he could be lethal if he gets his lines and lengths right.
On the pacer’s mindset
The mindset he (Bumrah) has is what separates him from anyone else in the world right now. He looks at the pitch and he doesn’t think it’s a hard toil on these wickets. He thinks how can I take make a breakthrough for the team and your mindset separates you from the rest. He is as strong headed as I have seen anyone in the past and that’s the key to his success, and that’s what I have seen in the past 12 months. The way he has matured and the areas he has bowled so quickly in his Test career I think it’s a scary sign for the batsmen around the world.
