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Paras Mhambrey, the former Team India bowling coach, has emphasized Jasprit Bumrah’s pivotal role as a natural leader within the national cricket team. According to Mhambrey, Bumrah’s leadership qualities make him indispensable on the field for India.
In the recent T20 World Cup 2024 held in the Caribbean, Jasprit Bumrah played a decisive role in India’s success. His exceptional performance in the final, where he claimed figures of 2/18 against South Africa, was crucial in India securing a seven-run victory. Bumrah’s outstanding form throughout the tournament, taking a total of 15 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 4.17, earned him the prestigious Player of the Tournament award.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Paras Mhambrey lauded Jasprit Bumrah for his unwavering confidence and exceptional skills displayed on the field. Mhambrey emphasized that Bumrah’s wealth of experience and composed demeanor will be invaluable for the team, particularly in mentoring younger players.
“It’s just the confidence that he has in his ability. He’s never in doubt. That reflects in the way you see him on the ground. And that’s because of his leadership skills. He is an out-and-out leader in the team. You need someone like him. Someone who has so much experience, you want him to share that experience with the other kids around. Whenever I see Jasprit Bumrah, I see a leader on the ground,” Mhambrey said.
The 30-year-old cricketer has led the national team in one Test match and two T20Is. During his captaincy, India experienced a defeat in a Test match against England but secured victories in T20Is against Ireland. Bumrah has also served as vice-captain in Test cricket but has not been considered for leadership roles in white-ball formats.
India is scheduled to compete against Sri Lanka in a series comprising three T20Is followed by three ODIs. Suryakumar Yadav is set to replace Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20Is after India’s triumph in the T20 World Cup 2024. Despite expectations from experts and fans alike, Hardik Pandya, who served as vice-captain during the recent World Cup, did not assume the T20I captaincy.
Paras Mhambrey hailed Jasprit Bumrah as a rare talent in the world of cricket. The former bowling coach emphasized that Bumrah currently stands as the premier fast bowler globally across all formats. Mhambrey underscored Bumrah’s remarkable ability to consistently deliver his skills regardless of the format of the game.
“He (Jasprit Bumrah) is a once-in-a-generation bowler, no doubt about it. It’s his skills and adaptability because he does it in all three formats, not only in T20s. He’s No.1 in all three formats right now. Having skills is one thing, but executing them every time is another,” the former India bowling coach added.
Jasprit Bumrah has chosen to sit out the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka. The decision came from both selectors and team management, who opted to give Bumrah a rest ahead of a demanding Test schedule later this year. The Indian team, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, is currently leading the standings in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with 68.52 percentage points accumulated from nine Test matches.
To secure a spot in the top two by the end of the cycle, India will need to clinch victories in most of their remaining matches. Ahead lie crucial Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, followed by the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia.
