Spotting of a Bollywood star doppelganger back in the ’90s was a common phenomenon, the same can now be said about Indian cricketers. While the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli had their lookalikes in the past, the new entry in the list is of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
Raj Mishra, a State Walker in Hyderabad, has often been mistaken for Bumrah. Raj has also been representing Telangana in the National athletics championship. There have been plenty of instances when the onlookers have stared at him, mistakenly identifying him as Bumrah. But later, they have had to apologise after realising the truth.
“Sometimes, people stare at me or at times call me Bumrah and then later realising the mistake, they say sorry,” Mishra was quoted as saying by Telangana Today. “In the 2019 nationals I came fifth and I was looking forward to this year’s nationals. But this coronavirus has upset my plans,” Mishra stated.
Mishra has been practising with Youraj Singh, a former Hyderabad wicketkeeper, at EME Centre of Secunderabad Cantonment. “It is a tough time in this Covid-19 crisis. But I never miss my training,” Mishra added.
The Gujarat-born speedster Bumrah made his ODI and T20I debut in 2016 with a Test call-up coming in 2018. The 26-year-old is currently one of the best fast bowlers in the country with 104 wickets in 64 ODIs and 68 scalps in just 14 Test matches.
Notably, the No. 2 ODI bowler Bumrah has been under the scanner post his return from a stress fracture. He has not been at his usual best in the matches post his most recent injury.
Had things gone as usual, Bumrah would have been playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. However, the mega event remains indefinitely postponed in the wake of the novel Coronavirus.
