The stock of Jasprit Bumrah in the longest format of the game has risen to new heights since he made his Test debut back in 2018 during India’s tour to South Africa. In Test cricket as well as other formats, Bumrah has established himself as a pillar of India’s pace attack. Former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun cited one incident that contributed to Bumrah’s success in Test cricket. Arun revealed that Virat Kohli was impressed with Bumrah’s performance in the nets, which prompted the management to give Bumrah a Test debut in Johannesburg.
Arun told Sportstar, “We had 10-12 days for practice before the start of the South Africa series in 2018. Virat was very impressed with Bumrah in the nets – he said that he was the toughest bowler to face among all the ones we have. So, he immediately decided that Bumrah would be playing in the first Test, and his career took off from there,” said Arun.
Arun recalls that when he chatted with the-then head coach Ravi Shastri, Bumrah, who had become a mainstay of India’s ODI and Twenty20 teams by then, always wanted to play red-ball cricket for the country.
“Earlier on, Bumrah, when he was with the ODI team, told me that his dream was to be a successful Test cricketer. When I told Ravi about this, he told me that Bumrah adds a lot to the bowling. He wanted to unleash him in South Africa. He spoke to Virat, who then spoke to selectors, and that’s how Bumrah, the Test phenomenon, came to be,” Ravi said.
During India’s tour of Australia during 2018-19, Bumrah played a crucial role in helping India dominate Test cricket.
As of now, the 28-year-old has played 27 Tests, taking 113 wickets at an average of 22.9.
