Let’s stop the Bumrah hate. Apart from the no-ball fiasco, he’s been fantastic throughout

Cricket fans in India have always been an emotional lot. From Twitter to Facebook to Instagram, they all erupted over social media after India lost to Pakistan on June 18 in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy. According to many, the main turning point of the match was Jasprit Bumrah. Or more specifically, a no-ball he delivered which turned the course of the match.

In only the fourth over of the match, Bumrah had Pakistan’s opener Fakhar Zaman caught behind. The ensuing celebrations were immediately halted as replays found that Bumrah had overstepped. Zaman went on to score 114 which took Pakistan to 338/4 in their 50 overs. India were bowled out for only 158, losing by 180 runs.

On Friday, the Twitter account of Jaipur Traffic Police sense an opportunity amidst the outpouring of hate towards Bumrah and jumped in to mock the Indian pacer. They came up with an advertisement on a billboard with a visual showing Bumrah overstepping, accompanied with a catch line as effective as his yorker: “Don’t cross the line, you know it can be costly”.

Consequently, Bumrah took offence and wrote a fitting reply on his own handle, forcing the police department to apologise. Fans, though, continued to bash him with thousands of replies directed on the common thread.

Short-term memory

Singling out Bumrah for that loss only indicates the short term memory of cricket fanatics in India. It is only the no-ball they remember, but they forget Bumrah’s many significant contributions, which have powered India through plenty of tough situations. His relentless death bowling has given India an assurance in the slog overs, while his ability to generate bounce with the new ball has added fangs to the pace attack.

India’s bowling unit has looked complete ever since Bumrah made an entry. While he stops the run flow from his end, the other bowlers rally to take the wickets. Even when Umesh Yadav was left out of the playing eleven, a versatile Bumrah shouldered the responsibility of the new ball. Bumrah’s role in Indian cricket has been what Lasith Malinga’s was for Sri Lanka.

Experiencing an off-day in cricket is inevitable. Anybody among the 22 playing on a day is bound to experience a blip in performance. Unfortunately for Bumrah, his off-day came during the most important match of the Champions Trophy. He was a tad unlucky too. Agreed that he bowled a no-ball at the start of the Pakistan innings and got thrashed, but he also got Hafeez bowled with a perfect yorker towards the end of the innings. It wasn’t his day as the bail went off but settled into the groove again.

But the point here is that does the Gujarat pacer deserve such an insult for a bad performance? Will it be practical to shatter the confidence of a 23-year-old who has been piling on performances one after the other? In the event of a loss, people have forgotten how even our best spinners also played their part in helping Pakistan reach that mammoth total.

Both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja looked ordinary, defensive and were milked for over 7.5 an over. Had they produced a wicket or two in the middle overs, India had the bowling to restrict the opposition. But because Bumrah’s no-ball led Zaman to a maiden ton, that became the talking point and Bumrah bore the brunt of what can only be termed a collective failure.

A quick learner with an ever-ready attitude

There is a reason why the 23-year-old has become an important link in the Indian pace attack. He may not have the banana-swing which Bhuvneshwar Kumar produces but he has embraced, or rather inculcated, the best of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav in his own bowling. Having played just 24 Twenty20 Internationals and 16 One-Day Internationals, Bumrah has already proven that he is a quick learner with an ever-ready attitude.

The yorker specialist has proved himself enough on enough occasions, starting from India’s tour of Australia in 2006 to the Champions Trophy. His 33 T20I wickets at an average of 17.78 and an economy of under-seven is a testimony to his multi-dimensional class. In ODIs too, he has adjusted easily in different conditions and knows how to mix and vary his options.

The Gujarat pacer played a stellar role when India beat New Zealand 3-2 at home in 2016. He picked six wickets in just three games. While Bumrah burst on the scene as a yorker specialist, he has recently developed into more than just a death-over specialist. And that was why Kohli could afford to rest Yadav and instead ask Bumrah to share the new ball with Bhuvneshwar.

Bumrah might have picked just four wickets in the Champions Trophy, but his tight lines, hit-the-deck bowling and ever-accurate yorkers helped Bhuvneshwar and the rest to apply the choke and later the kill. In football terminology, his role was that of a withdrawn striker, who held the ball and created chances for the striker with a great vision. Before the final, Bumrah had succeeded in his role to strangle the opposition but stumbled before the finish line.

Adjusting and adapting

Against Bangladesh in the semi-finals, Bhuvneshwar was able to remove the dangerous-looking Sabbir Rehman only because Bumrah stemmed the runs from the other end. His opening spell had figures of 5-1-12-0. Bumrah might not have succeeded in picking a wicket but he definitely set the stage for Bhuvneshwar. He performed the same role against South Africa giving away just 14 in four overs. India did not get a wicket in the first Powerplay but tight bowling from both ends meant India remained in the game.

Bumrah has certainly been a quick learner. His lengths and how he used his variations to good effect highlights that fact. Against South Africa and Bangladesh, he kept hitting the good length area hard in order to force batsmen on to the back foot. Anything pitched up and wide had gone for runs. Bhuvneshwar experienced it; Bumrah took the lesson and was on the job straightaway. Pakistan’s Junaid Khan and Hasan Ali too benefitted from a similar length.

“The wickets have been a little different. The wickets are a little hard, favouring the batsmen,” said Bumrah. “You have to be proactive, you have to vary your lengths all the time and you have to be consistent as well. So the margin of error is quite less. We were just focusing on that and trying to hit good, hard lengths and not to give them room.”

Prior to the tournament, Bumrah had a history of conceding runs by offering width trying to hit the three-quarter length. While his death bowling was by far the best, he struggled with the new ball. In the India-England series, he conceded 71 and 89 in Pune and Cuttack. Though, he was varying his lengths, the absence of lateral movement on the flat Indian tracks cost him.

Learning how to deliver with the new ball

Additionally, Bumrah was easily a foot and half off the good length giving the batsmen time to free their arms. Consequently, he was made to bowl with the older ball for a while before reaching England. It was a learning curve for the 23-year and old and credit must be given to him for improving so quickly.

“In England, pitch conditions are different. So, if he hits the deck hard, no issue but if he does it in India, the batsman can hit him. And that is why in India, the yorker is more helpful. In England, due to lateral movement, that kind of bowling is troubling batsmen,” said Gujarat Ranji coach Vijay Patel.

In England, having discovered the mantra to hit the deck exactly six metres from the batsman, Bumrah reaped rewards by getting steep bounce. India’s former head coach Anil Kumble too worked at the nets and made Bumrah understand the importance of combining the use of the wrist with the shoulder by making him bowl on a spot. Bumrah also pointed out that mixing up the bowling had been vital. During the death bowlers, as batsmen lined up for a yorker, he has kept them guessing with his slowers and sharp in-cutters.

“You don’t want to give room to the batsmen because there is no movement. There is no swing. They are very flat so you can’t be one-dimensional. If you continuously bowl on one area, the batsman would line you up. With the four-fielder rule, it is difficult for the bowlers so you had to use the occasional yorker or a bouncer and it worked,” said Bumrah.

While it reflects Bumrah’s sharp acumen, one cannot deny overstepping is an issue too. Since his debut, he has crossed the line over 20 times. Bumrah might not have taken it seriously but when he overstepped against Pakistan, an entire nation reminded him of his folly. But if he can take care of that one small chink, nothing can stop this prodigious talent.