Lockdown Made Me Realise How Much I Enjoy Playing This Game: Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah, Indian and Mumbai Indians pace spearhead, recently recalled the time he spent at home during the lockdown.

Bumrah is now gearing up for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League, where he will once again be the defending champions spearhead with the ball. The right-hander, in an interview with Times of India, opened up on his work routines during the lockdown. The champion fast bowler recalled taking a 15-20 day break immediately after the series against South Africa was canceled in March before gradually kickstarting his routine workouts.

Bumrah said that the break helped him on the aspects of his game that he needed time and space for, especially the mental side of things.

”Initially, as soon as the series against South Africa got called off, I took a break for probably around 15-20 days… did nothing. Then I gradually returned to my routine workouts at home, slowly started working on my body. One of the things I realized was this would be the best time for me to work on aspects that need time and space – also the mental aspect. I thought of ways in which I could make the best of this opportunity. I realized I wouldn’t get a time like this again,” Jasprit Bumrah told TOI.

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‘It was like a small kid playing alone in a park’- Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah further revealed that the lockdown made him realize how much he loves playing the game. And, so when the restrictions were partially lifted the right-hander took to an open ground, where he practiced bowling on a single wicket, besides working on his run-up and the technical aspects of the game, for example, the angle with which his arm was coming down.

”Once the partial lifting of lockdown happened, whatever access I had to an open ground, I made use of it – except there would be nobody else. So, it was like a small kid playing alone in a park. A month of bowling on a single wicket can teach you a lot of things,” Bumrah recalled.

You tend to think more about how you’re running in, the angles at which your arm is coming down, sticking to a line, etc. For instance, figuring things that were not going for me, working on them, going back to a lot of basics. Bowling stump to stump can sound boring but it’s a great teacher. Bowling yorkers without a batsman facing it. Basically, just enjoyed doing these things. Lockdown made me realise how much I enjoy playing this game,” he added.

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