India vs South Africa: Jasprit Bumrah's fifer vindicates his Test selection and is a promise of greater things to come

Jasprit Bumrah has been one of the most inspired pieces of selection in recent times. India’s selectors usually cop flak for their choice of non-regulars and newcomers. Thus when they select a gem, like Bumrah, for instance, they deserve to be richly applauded.

Bumrah, who came in through the Indian Premier League (IPL) route, is an acknowledged T20 specialist with a special skill to bowl at the death. His partnership with the unorthodox but extremely effective Lasith Malinga had turned the Mumbai Indians bowling unit into a formidable one, especially at the death, which thwarted any attempt by rivals to accelerate scoring.

India's Jasprit Bumrah (R) celebrates the dismissal of Hashim Amla with captain Virat Kohli during the Day 2 of the 3rd Test against South Africa in Johannesburg.

The manner in which he bamboozled a powerful Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line-up on his IPL debut in 2013 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is still fresh in memory. His three match-winning scalps included the prize wicket of skipper Virat Kohli.

At that time RCB and MI batsmen had revealed that he was difficult to pick. One MI batsmen said that “for some reason batsmen momentarily lose sight of the ball. His action is unusual and even in the nets we have a problem getting used to the release point of his deliveries”.

In this he might have something in common with former West Indian fast bowling great Colin Croft whose deliveries from wide of the crease used to flummox the best of batsmen.

In any case it was this unique quality and, of course, the ability to bowl inswingers at a brisk pace that made Bumrah a very special talent. Additionally, mentoring by maestro Malinga taught him a trick or two about change of pace, angles and lengths. These ensured that he was anything but predictable.

Nothing brought this to the fore better than that jaw-dropping super over against Gujarat Lions’ world class batting duo of Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum in the IPL last year. Defending a score of 11, MI stunned the opposition by using Bumrah rather than the experienced Malinga for that pressure cooker-like situation in the super over.

Bumrah bowled a wide and a no-ball but was so amazingly brilliant with his unpredictable mix of slower deliveries and yorkers that the power duo of Finch and McCullum could only get a mere six runs! Bumrah had held his nerve and bowled MI to a stupendous win.

While Bumrah’s special skills with the ball were apparent by now, few outside his home state of Gujarat were aware of his prowess in the longer format of the game.

On Ranji Trophy debut he had bagged seven wickets and bowled his side to an innings win over Vidarbha. His skipper Parthiv Patel was thus well aware of his ability to bowl multiple long spells in a long duration match. Still Bumrah’s name was basically associated with white-ball cricket and not too many expected him to be picked for Tests ahead of the tried and tested Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma or even Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.

The selectors though sought to spring a surprise. They went by his first class record (before selection of the team to South Africa) of 89 wickets in 26 matches on unresponsive Indian pitches. He had six five-wicket hauls at a very impressive economy rate of 2.69. These figures convinced them that he could be unleashed on the unsuspecting South Africans.

For Bumrah, bowling in Test cricket freed him of the need to stick to an extremely guarded length and line ball after ball, like in T20s. He could now run in and attempt to bowl at his fastest without worrying about wides and extra deliveries.

He basked in this freedom by consistently hurling the ball in the high 140 kmph. The pitches too had enough in them to keep him interested all the time.

The best part of the pacer is his deceptive action and the manner in which he uses it to play on the batsman’s mind. The delivery that dismissed Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis, for instance, was mind-blowing. The batsman picked neither length nor the in-tilt and was bowled while attempting to shoulder arms.

Sure, Bumrah might have looked at odds in the first innings of his debut Test. But by the time he came back for the second innings he was on top of the situation and served notice that he would be someone to reckon with.

The five-wicket haul at the Wanderers on Thursday was not just a vindication of his selection but a promise of greater things to come. Bumrah has the pace and the quality to be a strike bowler in overseas conditions. He is very smart is sussing out batsmen. This skill has stood out time and again in limited-overs cricket and now in Tests.

The 12 wickets in two-and-a-half Tests is proof that he can be the X-factor that India need going ahead.

Bumrah’s impact will be felt in yet another manner: with him, Bhuvaneshwar and other quality pacers proving their worth in the three Tests on South African pitches, teams abroad may not be so eager to provide grassy, bouncy tracks. That’s something India’s batsmen would surely appreciate. Way to go Bumrah!

Published Date: Jan 26, 2018 11:05 AM | Updated Date: Jan 26, 2018 11:05 AM