File photo of Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli© AFP
One of the finest bowlers India has produced in the Test format, Ishant Sharma is no longer ‘in the scheme of things’ as far as national selection goes. But, over the years, the veteran pacer has done wonders with the red ball. While Jasprit Bumrah seems to have taken the baton as India’s ‘marquee pacer’, there used to be a time when Ishant was ruling the roost for the team in whites. Recalling an incident when a young Bumrah had come into the team, Ishant has revealed an intriguing tale involving Virat Kohli.
In a chat on Cricbuzz, Ishant revealed that he always had high hopes for Bumrah. Narrating a 2018 incident, Ishant revealed how Bumrah didn’t have the best of first spells, seeing which, Kohli wanted to have a chat with him but Ishant stopped him from doing so.
“I knew a day would come when Bumrah would become a leader. I remember in 2018, when we were playing a Test match in Australia and his first spell did not go well. Virat told me ‘I think I should go and speak to him’. I said ‘ He is a very smart bowler. He understands it. Usko chhor de. Usko pata hai kya karna, kya nehi karna (Leave him alone. He knows what he needs to do). In that way he is very smart. He understands the game and he understands the situation.’ When you understand the situation, especially in Test cricket, you can make a comeback very quickly,” he said.
In that very series, Bumrah bagged a whopping 21 wickets, including a 5-wicket haul as India secured a memorable victory Down Under.
Fast forward to present, Bumrah has established himself as one of the finest bowlers in the world, be it white-ball cricket or red-ball.
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