Jasprit Jasbirsingh Bumrah (Punjabi:[dʒəsˈpɾiːt̪bʊmˈɾaː]; born 6 December 1993) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the national team in all formats of the game. He is the vice-captain of India in Test format. A right-arm fast bowler with a unique bowling action, Bumrah is widely regarded as the best pace bowler in the world across all the formats in modern cricket and the greatest fast bowler India has ever produced.[4] He plays for Gujarat in domestic cricket and for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. Bumrah was a crucial member of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he was named the player of the tournament for his wicket taking in all phases whilst maintaining an economy of 4.17.
Bumrah is the fastest Indian pacer to take 150 wickets in Test cricket and the second fastest Indian bowler to reach 100 wickets in ODI cricket. He is the first bowler to have achieved the number one ranking in the ICC men's player rankings in all three formats of the game. He also holds the record of scoring the highest number of runs in an over in Test cricket. He achieved this feat against Stuart Broad.
Bumrah made his domestic debut in 2012–13 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and also helped his side clinch its maiden title victory. His first-class debut came against Vidarbha, during the 2013–14 season of the Ranji Trophy. Bumrah was signed by the Mumbai Indians for the 2013 season of IPL. Since then, he has played for MI, contributing to the team's title wins five times. He is the second-highest wicket-taker for MI, behind Lasith Malinga, with 165 wickets in 133 matches.
Bumrah was born on 6 December 1993 into a SikhPunjabi family in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.[5] His father, Jasbir Singh, ran a chemical business, while his mother, Daljeet Bumrah, worked as a school teacher. His father passed away when Bumrah was 5 years old due to hepatitis B.[6][7] His mother raised him and his sister Juhika in a middle-class environment in Ahmedabad. Bumrah attended Nirman High School in Vastrapur, Ahmedabad, where his mother worked as the vice principal. He also played cricket for Nirman's team.[8][9][10]
Youth and domestic career
In 2010, Bumrah appeared at the Gujarat Cricket Association's Under-19 district selection trials. The selectors did not include him in the main squad of 15 due to his unconventional bowling action but named him as a reserve. After the district team won the first three matches, all three reserve players were given a chance in the fourth three-day match. Bumrah took seven wickets in that match.[11]
Bumrah made his twenty20 (T20) debut for Gujarat against Maharashtra in the 2012–13 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and helped his side clinch the title with his Man of the Match performance in the final, with figures of 3/14 to beat Punjab.[12] On 18 March 2013, during the match against Mumbai, former India coach John Wright, who was then the head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI) and scouting for the team at the time, was impressed by Bumrah's performance and invited him to sign up for MI.[10]
Jasprit Bumrah has the best and the most effective yorker among fast bowlers playing international cricket now.
– Cricket commentator and former fast bowler Wasim Akram, January 2019[16]
2016–2017: International debut
Bumrah made his ODI debut in January 2016 against Australia in the last match of the ODI series, where he took his first international wicket – that of Steve Smith – and finished with figures of 2/40.[17] In the first match of the T20I series that followed Bumrah made his debut, taking his maiden T20I wicket – that of David Warner – and finished with figures of 3/23. India won the T20I series and Bumrah was the highest wicket-taker on either side with six wickets.[18] In February 2016, he took three wickets in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.[19]
Bumrah was named in India's 15-man squad for the 2016 ICC World Twenty20. He took a wicket in every single match of the tournament except against Bangladesh. In the semi-final against West Indies he took the wicket of Chris Gayle while conceding 42 runs, having an economy rate of 10.50 runs per over.[20] India lost the match, and Bumrah finished the tournament with four wickets at an average of 38.25 and an economy rate of 7.65.[21]
In India's tour of Zimbabwe in 2016, during the first match of the ODI series, Bumrah, who was playing his second ODI game, took 4 wickets for 28 runs.[22] He was the highest wicket-taker of the series with 9 wickets, including another four-wicket haul in the third match.[23][24] During the T20I series, he was the second highest wicket-taker with five wickets, including a three-wicket haul in the second match.[25][26] In the two-match T20I series against West Indies in August 2016, Bumrah took his 28th wicket of the year, breaking Dirk Nannes's record for most wickets in Twenty20 Internationals in a calendar year.[27] In October 2016, when New Zealand toured India, Bumrah took six wickets in the ODI series at an average of 22.00.[28]
In January 2017, in the second match of the T20I series during England's 2016–17 tour of India, Bumrah picked up two wickets, conceded 20 runs, and was awarded the Player of the Match. He emerged as the second leading wicket-taker of the series, with five wickets in a 2–1 victory.[29][30] In the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, he went wicketless in the first two matches of the tournament. India lost the final against Pakistan, and Bumrah finished the tournament as the second leading wicket-taker for India, after Bhuvneshwar Kumar.[31] During the 2017 Sri Lanka tour, Bumrah recorded the most wickets (15) taken by any fast bowler in a bilateral ODI series of five or fewer matches.[32] In February 2018, he became the highest-ranked bowler in the ICC Men's ODI player rankings, along with Afghanistanileg-spinnerRashid Khan.[33]
2018–2019: Test debut and World Cup
In November 2017, Bumrah was named in India's Test squad for their series against South Africa.[34] He made his Test debut for India against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town on 5 January 2018.[35] In the third match of the series, at Johannesburg, Bumrah took his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests, with the figures of 5/54 from 18.5 overs.[36] South Africa won the series 2–1. Bumrah was the second highest wicket-taker for India behind teammate Mohammed Shami.[37]
Jasprit Bumrah (fourth from left) fielding during India vs England, at Trent Bridge (August 2018)
In June 2018, in the first match of India's tour of Ireland, Bumrah fractured his left thumb while attempting a catch; the injury caused him to miss the remainder of the tour and the first two Test matches of the 2018 Pataudi Trophy.[38][39] He returned for the third Test match at Trent Bridge, where he took his second five-wicket haul and finished with figures of 5/85 from 29 overs.[40] He was the fifth leading wicket-taker of the series with 14 wickets from three matches, in a series where India faced a 4–1 defeat.[41]
During the Boxing Day Test of India Tour of Australia 2018, with career-best figures of 6/33, Bumrah became the first Asian bowler to take five-wicket hauls in Australia, England, and South Africa in the same calendar year.[42] India won the series 2–1 and Bumrah finished as the joint highest wicket-taker with 21 wickets, alongside Australian bowler Nathan Lyon.[43] He concluded the year with 48 wickets, setting a record for an Indian bowler in his debut year in Test cricket.[44][45] For his performances in 2018, he was named in both the World Test XI and ODI XI by the ICC.[46]
In April 2019, Bumrah was named in India's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[47][48] On 6 July 2019, in the match against Sri Lanka, Bumrah, in his 57th career match, took his 100th wicket in ODIs and became the second-fastest Indian to do so after his teammate, Mohammed Shami.[49][50] He finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker for India and the fifth highest overall, with eighteen dismissals in nine matches.[51] India lost to New Zealand in semi-final. Bumrah was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by the ICC and ESPNcricinfo.[52][53]
In December 2020, Bumrah was named in the ICC Men's T20I Team of the Decade for 2011–2020.[58] In January 2021, He was ruled out of the final Test match at the Gabba of the 2020 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, due to a abdominal strain, which he picked up during the third Test of the series in Sydney.[59] At Sydney, Bumrah faced racist abuse from the crowd, prompting India to file a formal complaint at the end of day three. Subsequently, Cricket Australia issued an apology to the Indian team.[60] India won the final test, securing victory in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Bumrah was the fifth highest wicket-taker of the series with 11 wickets.[61] He played his maiden Test match in India in the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium against England in February 2021 after playing 17 Tests overseas. His maiden Test wicket in India was of Daniel Lawrence in England Tour of India 2021.[62][63][64] Bumrah was part of the Indian team that played the 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final against New Zealand. He went wicketless in the match, which India lost by 8 wickets.[65]
In the 2021 India tour of England, Bumrah was the highest wicket-taker of the series with 23 wickets. He was the player of the series along with England's Joe Root.[66] In the last match of the series, which was postponed to July 2022 due to COVID-19 cases in the Indian camp, Bumrah captained the Indian Test team for the first time instead of Rohit Sharma, who was ruled out due to suffering from COVID-19.[67] He scored 29 runs in an over bowled by Stuart Broad, beating the 18-year-old Test record set by Brian Lara (who had scored 28 runs in an over). The over also included six extras, meaning it cost a total of 35 runs.[68][69] In September 2021, Bumrah was named in India's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[70] He was one of only four fast bowlers in the main squad, alongside Mohammed Shami, the white-ball specialist, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and the bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur. India was knocked out of the tournament without reaching the semi-finals.[71]
2023–present: Injury, 2023 Cricket World Cup and 2024 T20 World Cup
Bumrah with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the World Cup final.
In January 2023, Bumrah missed the home series against Sri Lanka due to his back injury. He underwent back surgery in March 2023. He also missed the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final against Australia in June 2023.[80] In August 2023, after nearly a year, Bumrah made his comeback to international cricket as India's captain in the series against Ireland.[81] Bumrah was the player of the series, which India won 2–0.[82]
On 21 August 2023, Bumrah was named in India's squad for the 2023 Asia Cup. He played his first match in the tournament against Pakistan, scoring 16 runs off 14 balls, but the match was abandoned due to rain.[83] He was replaced by Mohammed Shami for the match against Nepal because he flew back to Mumbai for personal reasons.[84] India won the tournament by beating Sri Lanka in the final. Bumrah played four matches and took four wickets, averaging 17.75 with an economy rate of 4.17 runs per over.[85][86]
In September 2023, Bumrah was named in India's 15-man squad for 2023 Cricket World Cup.[87] In the match against Afghanistan at Delhi, he took a four-wicket haul at an economy rate of 3.90.[88] In the final, against Australia at Ahmedabad, he took 2 wickets for 43 runs at an economy rate of 4.77.[89] India lost the final, and Bumrah finished as the fourth leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 20 wickets.[90]
On 3 February 2024, during England's tour of India, in the second match of the series, Bumrah became the joint third-fastest (34 matches) Indian bowler and the fastest Indian pacer to take 150 wickets in Test cricket.[91][92] He took 6 wickets for 45 runs, his third-best bowling figure in Tests, and was awarded the Player of the Match award.[93][94] He became the first Indian fast bowler to reach the number one ranking in the ICC Test player rankings and the first bowler to achieve the number one ranking in all three formats of the game.[95] He took 19 wickets in four matches and emerged as the third-highest wicket-taker of the series, behind Ravichandran Ashwin of India and Tom Hartley of England.[96]
Jasprit Bumrah (second from left, front row) with the 2024 T20 World Cup winning team and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In June 2024, Bumrah was part of India's squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[97] He finished the tournament with 15 wickets at an economy rate of 4.17 runs per over, making him the second-highest wicket-taker for the team.[98] Bumrah was named the player of the tournament following India's win in the final against South Africa.[99]
In September 2024, Jasprit Bumrah achieved the milestone of 400 international wickets during the first Test match between India and Bangladesh. With this accomplishment, he became the sixth Indian fast bowler to reach this significant mark.[100]
Bumrah made his IPL debut at the age of 19, where he concluded with figures of 3/32 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Despite Virat Kohli hitting him for three fours in his first four deliveries of the IPL, Bumrah managed to dismiss him on the fifth ball, with Kohli scoring 24 runs and Bumrah securing his maiden IPL wicket.[104][105] He was then benched for the remainder of the season and only played in the match against the Delhi Daredevils, where he did not take a wicket.[106] Despite only playing two matches in the 2013 season, the Mumbai Indians retained him for the 2014 season.[107] He went wicketless in his first two matches of the 2014 season. However, in the match against RCB, he took two wickets for 22 runs at an economy rate of 5.50, including the wicket of AB de Villiers.[108] It was his best bowling figures of the season. He played in 11 of Mumbai's 15 matches and finished as the team's fifth leading wicket-taker of the season, securing five wickets at an economy rate of 7.58 and an average of 60.20.[109] MI retained Bumrah once again ahead of the 2015 Indian Premier League.[110] Bumrah played in only four of MI's sixteen matches and took three wickets at an economy rate of 12.26.[111]
In the 2016 Indian Premier League, Bumrah took four 3-wicket hauls and was the team's second-leading wicket-taker, after Mitchell McClenaghan, with fifteen wickets.[112][113] His best figures came in the match against Delhi Daredevils at Visakhapatnam, where he took three wickets for thirteen runs, with an economy rate of 3.25 runs per over.[114] In the 2017 season, he became the leading wicket-taker for the team and the third-leading wicket-taker of the tournament, taking 20 wickets.[115][116] Bumrah defended 12 runs in a super over in a match against the Gujarat Lions at Rajkot.[117] In the second qualifier match against Kolkata Knight Riders, at Bengaluru, Bumrah finished with figures of 3/7, the second-best bowling figures for Mumbai Indians that season.[118] In the final against Rising Pune Supergiant at Hyderabad, Bumrah took two wickets, including the wicket of MS Dhoni, and helped the team lift the trophy.[119]
Let me go on record and say that he [Jasprit Bumrah] is the best bowler in the world at this stage and the best is yet to come hopefully.
Bumrah began his 2018 IPL campaign with a single dismissal in the first match against the Chennai Super Kings, finishing with figures of 1/37.[121] His best performance came in the match against the Kings XI Punjab, where he took 3 wickets for 15 runs at an economy rate of 3.75 runs per over, for which he was named player of the match.[122] In the match against RCB in Mumbai, he took his 50th wicket of his IPL career, dismissing Chris Woakes.[123] Bumrah took 17 wickets in the season, making him the second leading wicket-taker for Mumbai, behind Hardik Pandya.[124] In the 2019 season of the IPL, Bumrah suffered a shoulder injury in the first match against Delhi Capitals. However, he was declared fit the next day and continued to play for the rest of the season.[125] In the match against RCB, he was awarded the player of the match for taking 3 wickets for 20 runs.[126] In the final against Chennai Super Kings at Uppal stadium, Bumrah conceded 14 runs, took two wickets (Ambati Rayudu and Dwayne Bravo), and was awarded the player of the match. Following his performance in the final, Sachin Tendulkar called him the best bowler in the world.[120] He finished the season as the leading wicket-taker for the Mumbai Indians, taking 19 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 21.52 and an economy rate of 6.63 runs per over.[127]
In the 2020 IPL, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[128] Bumrah took his highest number of wickets in a season, with 27 wickets, making him the highest wicket-taker for the Mumbai Indians and the second-highest wicket-taker of the season behind Kagiso Rabada of Delhi Capitals.[129][130] He took two four-wicket hauls in the season.[131] During the match against RCB at Abu Dhabi, he became the 16th bowler to pick 100 wickets in the IPL with the wicket of Virat Kohli.[132] In the qualifier against Delhi Capitals, he took 4 wickets for 14 runs and won the player of the match award.[133] Bumrah was once again the leading wicket-taker for his team in the 2021 season with 21 wickets in 14 matches and was the third-highest wicket-taker of the season.[134][135] On 19 September 2021, in the match against CSK, Bumrah played in his 100th IPL match.[136] In the 2022 season, Bumrah took 15 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 25.53 and an economy rate of 7.18, making him the highest wicket-taker for Mumbai.[137] He took a five-wicket haul during the match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Navi Mumbai, finishing with figures of 5/10, the best figures of his IPL career.[138] Bumrah was ruled out of the 2023 season of the IPL due to a back injury.[139]
Bumrah took his 150th IPL wicket, dismissing Abhishek Porel, during the 2024 season in the match against DC.[140] In the match against RCB, he achieved his second five-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 5/21.[141] Bumrah ended the season with a total of 20 wickets, making him the third-highest wicket-taker of the tournament.[142]
Bowling style
Bumrah gained prominence with his unorthodox action and hyperextended elbows.[143] His run-up is short, the first part of which consists of small, stuttering strides. He has an anomalous, stiff-armed action yet generates high pace, and his unusual point of release makes it difficult for batters to read his bowling. Accordingly, the Indian team often uses him in powerplay and death overs.[144] He bowls outside the off-stump, yorkers and short length balls frequently.[145][146] According to former international bowler Shoaib Akhtar, Bumrah's bowling action has the potential to cause back injuries. Bumrah's front-on bowling action means that bowlers like him generate speed primarily from their shoulders and back, increasing the risk of injury.[147]
I think Jasprit Bumrah is very, very interesting. He runs off a very short run-up. He jogs and then bowls with a very short run. He has got straight arms. His bowling is not textbook by any means, but it works. He is very different from other pace bowlers, which reminds me of another fast bowler of my era, who was very different from everyone else – Jeff Thomson.
Bumrah targets the stumps more often than any other bowler who bowls at his pace, nearly 138 kilometres per hour (86 mph). He bowls nearly 43% of his deliveries on a good line and length.[149] He has the highest average pace among bowlers who hit the good line and length at least as frequently.[150][151] Additionally, he utilises lateral movement of the ball in his deliveries, capable of swinging it both ways and using reverse swing, especially in Indian conditions.[152]
Bumrah's hyper-extended right elbow allows him to release the ball from beyond the bowling crease, creating the illusion of increased speed by reducing the ball's travel distance by nearly half a meter.[153] This hyperextension also enables him to impart an extraordinary amount of backspin on the ball, which produces lift towards the batter (see Magnus effect).[154] His slower variation, the off cutter, has dismissed many batters over the years. Its effectiveness stems from his ability to reverse the lift by imparting enough revolutions on the ball in the opposite direction, causing the ball to dip which makes it land slightly earlier.[155] Another notable skill is his ability to hit various lengths without significantly altering his release point, making it difficult for batters to pick the length from his hand.[156] Additionally, his beyond-the-perpendicular release point allows him to angle the ball into right-handed batters and away from left-handers from over the wicket.[157]
Bumrah has earned a reputation for his late-swinging yorker, which he says he learned by practising with a tennis ball.[151][158] Bumrah has grown into an asset for the Indian team in the limited-overs format.[159][160][161] He is considered one of the fastest Indian bowlers, with an average speed of 142km/h and his fastest recorded speed being 153km/h which was recorded during the first Test match of the India Tour of Australia 2018 at the Adelaide Oval, outpacing Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.[162][163]
"My all-time favourite bowlers are Mitchell Johnson, Wasim Akram and Brett Lee. I used to watch their videos and learn from them. I have learnt a lot from Johnson, and Malinga too. I try to learn from any senior bowlers who have played international cricket."
Mumbai Indians bowling coach and former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond said: "Boom's action, though unique, is repeatable. He has great control."[10] Former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra also commented on Bumrah's bowling action, stating, "What you do in 75–80% of your run-up, nothing matters. It's the last 15–20%, the last four-five steps, which is the main thing. That is bowling. Bumrah runs differently, but in his last three-four steps – he is loading, front leg, back leg, everything is in alignment, and he is quick through the air."[10]
Outside cricket
Personal life
On 15 March 2021, Bumrah married model and presenter Sanjana Ganesan in Goa.[165] Hailing from Pune, Maharashtra, Ganesan is a former Miss India finalist and was also a participant in MTV's Splitsvilla in 2014.[166] Bumrah and Ganesan first met in an interview during the 2013 Indian Premier League. They became friends after that first meeting, and after dating for two years, they married in 2021.[167] On 4 September 2023, their son Angad was born.[168]
Public image
According to Forbes India, in August 2023 Bumrah had around 25 million followers on social media, including over 10 million on Instagram, which is the highest social media following among bowlers in the world. Financial advisory firm Kroll placed Bumrah in the top 45 most valued celebrities of the country, with an estimated brand value of ₹100 crore (equivalent to ₹106 crore or US$13 million in 2023) in the year 2022. He was the only bowler in the top 50.[169] As of August 2023[update], he charges in the range of ₹1.5 to ₹2 crore a day for an endorsement. His brand value is estimated to increase by 25 to 30 per cent in the next 12 months.[170] Forbes India included Bumrah in its Celebrity 100 list in the years 2018 and 2019.[171][172]
Praise and Acclaim for Jasprit Bumrah
In the cricketing fraternity, Jasprit Bumrah is widely regarded as the world's best all-format pace bowler in modern cricket. He has received unanimous praise and critical acclaim from numerous former cricketers, analysts, commentators, current players, and fans for his exceptional fast bowling skills, accuracy, and performance.[173][174] Notably, Wasim Akram explicitly described him as the "best bowler in the world,"[175] emphasizing his ability to execute yorkers and perform under pressure. Other legendary fast bowlers, including Andy Roberts,[176]Curtly Ambrose,[177]Ian Bishop,[178] and Waqar Younis,[179] have lauded his unique action, impact, precision, and psychological dominance over batsmen. Lasith Malinga, Matthew Hayden and Dale Steyn have also commended Bumrah for his mastery of yorkers and his adaptability across different conditions.[180][181] Indian cricket figures such as Sachin Tendulkar, Irfan Pathan, Ravi Shastri, and Sunil Gavaskar have highlighted his consistency and leadership in India's bowling attack,[182][183] while Ricky Ponting and commentator Harsha Bhogle have praised his tactical acumen and composure in critical moments of the game.[184][185][186]
^ abcdeUgra, Sharda (23 May 2019). "The boy called Boom". The Cricket Monthly. ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
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