Not Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma!! Aakash Chopra names the Indian player who has made him fall in love with Test Cricket again
Published - 08 Feb 2024, 02:26 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:26 AM
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra praised ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah for reaching the top position in the latest ICC Test bowler rankings. Aakash Chopra highlighted that Jasprit Bumrah’s performances are making fans fall in love with the longer format of the game.
Over the past few months, Bumrah has delivered outstanding performances in Test cricket. The 30-year-old pacer claimed 12 wickets during the Test series against South Africa. The Indian team ended the two-match Test series in a 1-1 draw in South Africa last month.
In the ongoing series against England, the Indian pacer has taken 15 wickets across the first two Tests. Bumrah claimed nine wickets in the second match, earning him the Player of the Match accolade. Team India secured a 106-run win in the Visakhapatnam Test match.
Jasprit Bumrah Is Making Us Fall In Love With Test Cricket – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra praised Jasprit Bumrah for reigniting enthusiasm for Test cricket among fans. He emphasized Bumrah’s impact, likening it to the excitement generated by a batter’s lengthy innings.
“With what he (Bumrah) is doing currently, he is making us fall in love with Test cricket. When a batter scores a hundred or a double hundred, he stays at the crease for a long time, so it just captures your imagination a little more because you have seen him bat for seven hours,” Chopra said.
Spinners Pick Up Six Or Seven Wickets – Aakash Chopra
The former Indian opener highlighted Bumrah’s effectiveness in less favorable Indian conditions. He stated that spinners often claim multiple wickets in spin-friendly conditions in India.
“In Tests in India, we look at spinners, because they pick up six or seven wickets, and 10 or 12 wickets in a Test match and you say – ‘Wow’. Fast bowlers, because they bowl short spells, don’t capture your imagination as much, especially in Indian conditions,” Chopra added.
Jasprit Bumrah Is An Amazing Player – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra stated that Jasprit Bumrah has the versatility to excel across all cricket formats. The former cricketer remarked that Bumrah has left a lasting impression, despite missing a lot of cricket due to injuries.
“He is an amazing player. You generally don’t look for all-format players in modern-day cricket. The players are coming with that perspective and the selectors also are looking with that perspective,” Chopra further stated.
“However, a player who couldn’t continuously play all cricket, went through an extremely serious injury and was out for a very long time, the way he is bowling since returning from that – a lot of bowlers come but some bowlers remain in your memory and are exceptional till the time they play,” he concluded.
Bumrah achieved a historic milestone by becoming India’s first pacer to top the rankings in Test cricket. Additionally, he became the first bowler to accomplish this feat across all three formats. The pacer also dominated the ICC bowler rankings in ODIs and T20Is.
The Gujarat seamer currently holds the sixth position in the ICC ODI rankings. However, his ranking in T20Is stands at the 100th spot, largely due to his limited participation in this format, with only two appearances since September 2022.
Also read: “Can’t think of…” – Waqar Younis’ verdict on Jasprit Bumrah’s lethal yorker to Ollie Pope
