"Jasprit Bumrah is like R Ashwin.."- Munaf Patel

Former Right arm seamer Munaf Patel who played a key role behind the Indian team’s sensational ICC Cricket World Cu0 2011 triumph after 28 years on home soil, heaped praise on India’s present-day speedster and only fast bowler from the country to have reached the pinnacle of ICC Test bowler’s rankings, Jasprit Bumrah for his exceptional work ethics and willingness to evolve himself with time.

Munaf Patel made these remarks while speaking to India Today at Greater Noida where he is featuring in the inaugural edition of the Indian veteran Premier League. He was asked to comment on the qualities and the differentiator of Jasprit Bumrah who has been rested by the Indian team management for the 4th Test against England in Ranchi.

Before England’s left-arm off-spinner, Tom Hartley claimed his 18th wicket of the series yesterday (day 2), Bumrah was leading the highest wicket-taking charts with 17 scalps from the first three Test matches in Hyderabad, Vizag, and Rajkot. He was leading the Indian bowling attack from the front and played a key role in the hosts’ comeback victory in the 2nd and 3rd Test.

“He is a quick learner”, Munaf Patel opines on Bumrah’s key ability

Before being rested for the 4th Test, Jasprit Bumrah had racked up 6 wickets across innings in the 1st Test, followed by 9 scalps in the 2nd Test for which he also received the man of the match award and became the fastest Indian bowler to amass 150 Test wickets by innings before claiming another brace of wickets in the 3rd Test where India registered its biggest Test victory by 434-runs.

Munaf Patel took note of Bumrah’s performance and claimed that he is the ability to grasp things quickly is his key attribute. The 40-year-old also compared him to his former teammate and veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin who completed 500 Test wickets in the 3rd Test, for their willingness to continuously improve their skillset.

“As a bowler, a lot of your success after the initial impact depends on how much you improve. Look the way Bumrah has evolved from the start of his career to becoming the No. 1 Test bowler, he is a quick learner. He doesn’t take a lot of time to improve on a particular skill or area.” – Munaf told India Today.

“It’s much like off-spinner R Ashwin. Whenever you see him at the start of a new series, you will see the difference with an added skill or variation. Bumrah’s fitness is also good.” – Munaf Patel added.

Jasprit Bumrah’s discipline is another key factor, says Munaf

Munaf Patel who has played 86 matches across formats for the Indian team, also pointed out that Jasprit Bumrah’s discipline and ability to read different situations have helped him become a wicket-taking bowler at every juncture of a particular match. Munaf also likened Bumrah to former teammate Zaheer Khan for thinking too much about their respective games.

“Bumrah’s maturity is very good. He is a bowling captain. I believe these are the things that are helping him achieve big. Nothing very different, but his discipline and his ability to read the game well are the reasons for his success. If you make the opposition think a lot about you, these kind of results come. In the past, Zaheer Khan made it happen. For Zaheer, the opposition prepared more, and sat down to discuss him before matches.” – Munaf Patel concluded.