Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah opened up after receiving praise from legendary Pakistan pacer Waqar Younis for his bowling performance in the ICC World Cup 2023 game against Pakistan.
The 29-year-old Bumrah bagged 2-19 in seven overs and was the key man behind Pakistan's collapse while batting first.
Bumrah said legendary pacer Waqar Younis praising him is a great feeling since he grew up watching him and Wasim Akram bowl some magical deliveries. With his performance against Pakistan, Bumrah became the leading wicket-taker in the 2023 World Cup.
“There was a little phase in that when there was a reverse swing. It was the outswinger and not the cutter. I have seen him (Waqar Younis) and Wasim Akram bowl some magical deliveries while growing up. So him praising me is a great feeling,” Bumrah said.
Meanwhile, Bumrah said the Indian bowlers assessed the conditions quickly and made life harder for the batters.
“It felt good. Usually, you try to analyze the wicket and how to bowl. We assessed the conditions quickly and tried to make life harder for their batters. When I was young, I was asking a lot of questions. So that it helps. I was asking a lot of questions to my seniors and I guess that helped me assess the conditions quickly,” Bumrah added.
He went on to say that he saw Ravindra Jadeja’s ball turn a bit which is why we used the slower one to dismiss Mohammad Rzwan. Bumrah ended with two wickets while giving away just 19 runs in his seven overs.
“I saw Jaddu's (Ravindra Jadeja) ball turn a bit. So I thought it would be a good option to bowl in the middle overs. I tried and it gripped and that's one of those days,” Bumrah added.
With this seven-wicket win, India extended their winning record to 8-0 against Pakistan in the ODI World Cups.
- Jasprit Bumrah
