The days when India's national selectors contemplated whether Jasprit Bumrah would adapt to all formats now seem light years ago. Fifty-two Test matches into his journey, Bumrah has put all doubts to rest and become the foremost fast bowler of his generation across formats.
Shane Bond served as bowling coach of Mumbai Indians for nine years between 2015 and 2023 and saw peak Jasprit Bumrah from close quarters.
So how does he coach a genius like Bumrah? “It's the same as anybody,” Bond straightforwardly explains in this interview.
Currently working as a commentator with Sky Sport New Zealand, the former Kiwi quick is among the few coaches whose counsel the Indian pace ace seeks from time to time.
“There are always elements to any player where you look for improvement,” Bond said. “It’s about making sure that you're pushing for those improvements, even if it’s in small areas. Otherwise, there's no point in being a coach. You're just a cheerleader.
“I think the beauty of the time I spent with him…the IPL allowed us to be two months together and we worked for nine seasons. So you get to know someone pretty well. I think that really helps — just the continuity and the relationship with the player. So you can understand how they tick, the days where you can get a sense when they wake up, in a good mood or a bad mood. And you've got eyes on them all the time, so you can pick up on stuff.”
{{/usCountry}}“I think the beauty of the time I spent with him…the IPL allowed us to be two months together and we worked for nine seasons. So you get to know someone pretty well. I think that really helps — just the continuity and the relationship with the player. So you can understand how they tick, the days where you can get a sense when they wake up, in a good mood or a bad mood. And you've got eyes on them all the time, so you can pick up on stuff.”
{{/usCountry}}Even the great fast bowlers are always keen to strike conversations to upskill. “I think that's the key to being a great bowler. The reason why players are great players is because they're always looking for improvement, never satisfied,” said Bond.
“As a fast bowler, you probably recognise that towards the back end of your career, you're going to lose a little pace. So you've got to find different ways to be successful. With Jas, given the level of his competitiveness, you were just asking and posing questions about areas where he can improve. As a coach, I certainly don't have all the answers for everybody. But the job of the bowler is to just listen and consider it. Sometimes you just strike a good relationship with certain people and you can have an impact on them.”
In 2023 when Bumrah underwent back surgery in New Zealand, Bond was by his side and had plenty to share from his own experiences. “I'd go and see him and take him across to my son's school to meet all his mates when they were playing cricket. It was cool. So when you've gone through a similar experience, you can relate to it. I suppose it just makes that relationship even closer,” he said.
Successful athletes often talk about the work that happens when no one is watching — in training. It's no different with Bumrah.
“With some seasons, you come with a lot of cricket, some you haven't had as much. Once you are older, wiser, you sort of understand how to manage yourself,” Bond said about Bumrah’s preparations for IPL. “I think it looked like last season he was carrying an injury, which he was managing himself through the season. When he hasn't been injured, he's been the best bowler by some distance. When he's on, he's that bowler.”
Part of Bumrah’s excellence is his ability to integrate white-ball deliveries in Test match spells, never apprehensive that he might lose his lengths.
“I feel like the change of pace is probably an underutilised ball in Test cricket. So if you've got an arsenal of weapons that's so effective in short-form cricket, there's no reason why it can't be used in Test cricket, especially when you're sort of not expecting it,” said Bond. “In Indian conditions where the wickets are flat, you might get some reverse swing. Then, you know, it's such a surprise. Bumrah is so good with it that it becomes that wicket-taking delivery.”ALSO READ: IND vs NZ, 4th ODI: India still favourites to add to their gains
One such iconic delivery was the reverse-swinging yorker that uprooted England’s Ollie Pope’s stumps in the Visakhapatnam Test of 2024. The beauty about Bumrah is his defensive masterclass in T20 cricket is so good, it receives the same recognition.
“Statistically, he sits at a level above every other bowler. I think people would recognise that he's been the best bowler in the IPL for a number of years,” said Bond. “When you played Mumbai Indians, you always sort of had to account for the Bumrah factor. A, he could take wickets at any stage, but particularly when you were chasing and if he had 2 overs left…he sort of impacts the whole way that you structure your chase. In my time at MI, you always felt like he could change the game.
“We won a couple of IPL finals (2017, 2019) by one run, and he was hugely influential on that. Obviously in the 2026 T20 WC semi-final and the 2024 T20 WC final, he was the game changer. And you don't have too many like him in T20 cricket, particularly fast bowlers, who are that impactful. And that's no disrespect to some incredible bowlers. But his statistics are almost ridiculous. So, yeah, it's fun watching the best at work, especially when they're at the peak of their powers.”
Bond added, “One thing that’s always struck me about Boom is his self-belief and confidence in his own ability. And you marry all that stuff together, the prep, that's why you've got such a great bowler.”