Jasprit Bumrah, now comfortably established as the world’s No. 1-ranked Test bowler, is looking forward to another summer in England, but not without a few lingering questions about the challenge ahead. As India prepare for their five-Test tour starting June 20 in Leeds, Bumrah made it clear that the conditions, the Dukes ball, and England’s fearless approach are all variables he’s mentally preparing for.
This will be Bumrah’s third Test series in England, where he has already claimed 37 wickets in eight matches at an impressive average of 23.78. But despite his success, Bumrah admitted that no trip to England is ever predictable.
“Playing in England is always a different challenge,” he said in a chat with Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket YouTube channel.
“I always love bowling with the Dukes ball. But I don't know how much the Dukes ball is doing right now because there's always constant changes to the ball. But the weather, the swinging conditions. And then when the ball becomes soft, there's always a challenge. So I always look forward to playing in England.”
Bumrah on England's batting approach
Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England have revolutionised their rhythm of Test batting, something that hasn’t escaped Bumrah’s attention, even if it doesn’t entirely compute with his bowling instincts. Bumrah, has, however, conquered England's ‘Bazball’ approach during the side's tour of India last year, where India registered a 4-1 victory.
{{/usCountry}}Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England have revolutionised their rhythm of Test batting, something that hasn’t escaped Bumrah’s attention, even if it doesn’t entirely compute with his bowling instincts. Bumrah, has, however, conquered England's ‘Bazball’ approach during the side's tour of India last year, where India registered a 4-1 victory.
{{/usCountry}}“They're playing an interesting style of cricket which is interesting because I don't really understand it too much,” Bumrah remarked. The tone of that comment does, however, indicate that his assessment leaves open the possibility that India’s bowlers are far from intimidated.
As for India’s bowling unit, Bumrah believes the collective talent is enough to counter even the most aggressive of batting line-ups. “As a bowling unit, we always feel confident that when the batters are being ultra-aggressive, on a given day, anybody could run through and get wickets.”
With selectors monitoring Bumrah's workload, he may not play every Test, but chief selector Ajit Agarkar has indicated that the side hopes for the star pacer to play in at least three matches.