Jasprit Bumrah has a ‘nice guy’ image. The fast bowler never sledges or vents his frustrations toward the batters, which isn’t exactly the image one has in mind when thinking about a fearsome bowler. When thinking about a deathly bowler, one thinks about Mitchell Johnson roughing England up in the 2013/14 Ashes or a 6’7 monster running towards you in Curtly Ambrose.
Bumrah isn’t exactly the first person who comes to mind when thinking about a menacing fast bowler. But if you ask James Anderson, the answer might be different.
Before the IND vs ENG Test series, Jasprit Bumrah provided his version of the famous ’10-ball over’ he bowled to Anderson in 2021 at Lord’s. Talking about the incident with the Guardian, he said:
“I was tired, I thought the last wicket was there, I tried to push to bowl fast,” he explains. “I went up to him [mid-over], asked: ‘Are you OK?’ and didn’t get a good response. So that brought back some young memories; trying to be the nice guy and it not being taken well. And it triggered the whole team. It was red mist but it was channelled. Fighting and playing is second nature to us; controlling that is self-taught.
No loss of respect in spite of rivalry
Despite their unpleasant encounter, Jasprit Bumrah was not shy about praising the great of the game. Talking about Anderson’s longevity, he said:
“A lot of credit to [Anderson], I can genuinely say I’ve been watching him since I was a child. It’s credit to him [he is still playing at 41], a testament to his hunger and passion. It’s one thing having helpful conditions but to keep doing all that preparation. Skill, technique can be learned but the will to keep going, that’s a big, big tick for me.”
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