Jasprit Bumrah was desperate to play Test cricket with Virat Kohli - Ravi Shastri's colossal revelation on pacer
Updated - 10 Feb 2024, 05:15 PM
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Former Team India all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri recounted a fascinating story about Jasprit Bumrah’s Test debut. Ravi Shastri praised Jasprit Bumrah’s determination to succeed in red-ball cricket despite initially being labeled as a white-ball specialist.
Jasprit Bumrah is hailed as one of the finest fast bowlers that the nation has ever produced. He recently achieved the top spot in the ICC Rankings for Test bowlers. The pacer is the only bowler to reach the prestigious World No. 1 position in all three formats of the game.
Jasprit Bumrah Was Labeled As A White-Ball Cricketer – Ravi Shastri
In an interview with former England skipper Michael Atherton for The Times, Ravi Shastri recalled Jasprit Bumrah‘s transition to Test cricket. Shastri emphasized Bumrah’s eagerness to excel in Test cricket, highlighting the significance of that format in his career.
“I remember my first call to him, it was in Kolkata. I asked him would he be interested in Test cricket. He said that would be the biggest day of his life. He was labeled as a white-ball cricketer without asking him. But I knew. I wanted to see how hungry he was. I told him to get ready, be prepared. I told him I was going to unleash him in South Africa,” Shastri said.
“He was desperate to play Test cricket with Virat Kohli. They know, at the end of the day, no one remembers white ball averages. They will always remember your numbers in Test cricket,” he added.
Bumrah debuted during the first Test of the 2018 South Africa tour in Cape Town, where he impressed with four wickets. He picked up a five-wicket haul in India’s memorable Test victory at the Wanderers. The pacer ended the series with 14 wickets in three matches.
The 30-year-old has played 34 Test matches, taking 155 wickets with an impressive average of 20.19, including 10 five-wicket hauls and four four-fers. The ace fast bowler has the best innings bowling performance of 6/27 and his best match bowling figures of 9/86.
We were on the same page and wanted a battery of fast bowlers – Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri reminisced about the team’s aggressive approach towards fast bowlers during the net session. Shastri highlighted Jasprit Bumrah’s enthusiasm for willingly embracing the intense training sessions.
“We were on the same page and wanted a battery of fast bowlers. He was ready for a scrap. He wanted to play hard. We made it a free-for-all in the nets. You were allowed to bounce the s**t out of anyone. He was the first guy to embrace it; he was quite prepared to look ugly in the nets and the mindset changed,” Shastri stated.
Team India assembled a formidable pace bowling unit, featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammed Siraj. In 2018, Bumrah, Shami, and Ishant collectively secured 131 wickets in Test cricket. Bumrah led the tally with 46 dismissals in nine Tests, followed closely by Shami (46) and Ishant (39).
Jasprit Bumrah is likely to be seen in action during the third Test between India and England at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, starting on Thursday, February 15.
