'I told Kohli there's a bowler named Bumrah, have a look. Virat said 'Leave it. What will such guys do?'': Ex-RCB player

IPL 2022: Virat Kohli's reaction after hearing about Jasprit Bumrah for the first time wasn't the most positive.

Today an integral part of Indian cricket, Jasprit Bumrah's rise during his early days of international cricket had been phenomenal. After a breakout season for Mumbai Indians in 2015, Bumrah was fast-tracked into India's limited-overs set up in January 2016 and it did not take him too long from take off. Soon, Bumrah took control and became the leader of India's pacer attack. In 2018, Bumrah was handed his Test debut and in less than three years, he established himself as India's bowling spearhead, becoming the fastest Indian to 50 Test wickets and a hat-trick in his second year. (PBKS vs RCB: Faf du Plessis scripts staggering IPL record with fiery 88 on captaincy debut)

Jasprit Bumrah (L) and Virat Kohli.  (Getty)

Also Follow: IPL 2022 Full Coverage

For Bumrah, a lot of his success is due to his hard work and skills, but some credit also goes to Virat Kohli. Having made his India debut under MS Dhoni, Bumrah became a different beast under the captaincy of Kohli as his career took off. A huge supporter of Bumrah, Kohli can be seen using famous catchphrases and imitating his actions as part of his admiration for the Indian pacer.

However, did you know that Kohli's reaction after hearing about Bumrah was quite the opposite? In a startling revelation, former India wicketkeeper and ex-RCB player Parthiv Patel has revealed that he had pitched the idea of getting Bumrah on board to Kohli, his former captain, but Virat had outrightly refused to even give him a chance.

In 2014, when I was at RCB, I told Kohli there's this bowler named Bumrah. Have a look at him. Virat replied saying 'Chhor na yaar. Ye Bumrah-Vumrah kya karenge?' (Leave it. What will such players do?" Parthiv said on Cricbuzz.

Parthiv was Bumrah's captain in the Gujarat domestic team and had seen his rise first hand. He narrates how Bumrah had struggled in his initial years but became a different kettle of fish altogether after putting in herculean efforts himself and by receiving unparalleled backing by five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians.

"When he was first picked, Bumrah played Ranji Trophy for the first 2-3 years. 2013 was his first year, and he didn't have a good season in 2014. In 2015, it was so bad that there were discussion going on that he might have to be sent back home mid-season. But, he slowly began improving and Mumbai Indians really backed him. It was his own hard work and such backing that really brought out the best in him," added Parthiv.