'Pretty close': Anil Kumble impressed as Jasprit Bumrah imitates his bowling action

NEW DELHI: India pacer Jasprit Bumrah's imitation of Anil Kumble's bowling action has got the latter impressed as he said the fast bowler was "pretty close" in pulling off the action.

Bumrah is known for bowling toe crushing yorkers and sharp bouncers, but who knew that the pacer can pretty much ace the bowling action of former spinner Kumble. In a video shared by BCCI on Twitter on Saturday, Bumrah was seen imitating the action of Kumble and he pretty much nailed it.

"We have all seen @Jaspritbumrah93's fiery yorkers and sharp bouncers. Here's presenting a never-seen-before version of the fast bowler. Boom tries to emulate the legendary @anilkumble1074's bowling action and pretty much nails it," BCCI had written as the caption.

Replying to the BCCI's tweet, Kumble wrote: "Well done Boom. Pretty close. You are an inspiration to the next generation of young fast bowlers who are imitating your style. Best wishes for the upcoming series."

Well done Boom. Pretty close . You are an inspiration to the next generation of young fast bowlers who are imitating your style. Best wishes for the upcoming series.

— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) January 31, 2021

A legend of the game, Kumble had announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008. He finished with 619 wickets in the longest format of the game.

He has the third-highest number of wickets (619) in Tests, only behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708).

Kumble is the second bowler in the history of international cricket after England's Jim Laker to take all ten wickets in an innings of a Test match. He had achieved the feat against Pakistan in 1999 at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi.

Kumble had bowling figures of 10-74 from 26.3 overs in the second innings of the Test match. Kumble is currently the head coach of Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

As for pace spearhead Bumrah, he was last seen in action in the recently-concluded Test series against Australia. He will next be seen in action in the upcoming four-match Test series against England, beginning on February 5 in Chennai.