Jasprit Bumrah 'gave up burgers, milkshakes and pizzas', became 'bull' to endure bowling action: 'We tried to change...'

Bharat Arun revealed how in order to support his unorthodox action, Jasprit Bumrah had to make a host of sacrifices, and how his love for bowling allowed this.

Jasprit Bumrah might be modern cricket’s greatest and most unique fast bowler, a weapon beyond compare across all three formats. Nevertheless, there is no questioning that like with any fast bowler, this is the result of a player who has put in a lot of effort and development towards reaching this stage.

Jasprit Bumrah for Team India. (AFP)

Bumrah’s dedication to his craft from the front of personal discipline was touched upon by India's former bowling coach Bharat Arun. Once a trainer at the NCA, Arun explained how Bumrah needed to work on his body to ensure his unique and unorthodox action held up over time.

“He could bowl quick, and so we discussed with the physio and the strength and conditioning coach,” said Arun in an interview with Bombay Sport. “We said, I wouldn’t want to touch his action because it’s very unique and generates a lot of pace. But it also puts him under stress.”

Given this information, the main focus for Bumrah became his diet, and as Arun describes it, ‘sacrifices’. To become a premier pacer, being an elite-level athlete was the first key.

“We called him and told him: to take the impact of fast bowling, you need to be like a bull. That comes down to diet, exercise, and sacrifices,” said Arun. “In all fairness, Bumrah instantaneously changed. He started eating healthy, he was working in the gym. Like Virat Kohli, he was extremely dedicated.”

And just like Kohli, Bumrah also had to show restraint from the kind of food that tends to be a guilty pleasure for so many, but a necessary thing to cut out.

“He loved burgers, pizzas, milkshakes. He gave up everything overnight. A Punjabi boy living in Gujarat — but his love for bowling was greater than any food craving,” said Arun, a quote that may come to define Bumrah.

Arun earlier also explained that changing Bumrah’s action and attempting to make it more orthodox was discussed when he was at the NCA for an U19 camp in 2013, but this was something that was reversed as it became clear that his strength and quality lay in that very action.

“A lot of things have been said about the fitness culture of Virat Kohli. Jasprit Bumrah is no less. In all fairness, we also tried to change Bumrah’s action,” explained Arun. “He was remodeled, but then the action was great, the ball was not going quick. What’s the point in having a great action if the balls aren’t effective?”