Bumrah conjures magic like just another day in the office as the New Zealand batters once again had no answers.
Tim Seifert had no power. Jasprit Bumrah never looks for the magic ball, despite having all the abilities and variations that make batters feel that way.
His execution and simplicity are what make him magical. In the third Twenty20 International between India and New Zealand, Bumrah’s magic combined with some magic off the Guwahati pitch resulted in Seifert’s dismissal.
Even a 360-degree batter like Seifert was left with few alternatives and glued to the crease as Bumrah hit his first ball in the last over of the powerplay on a perfect, in-between length that was neither driveable nor pullable. It swung into Seifert after being slanted in from over the wicket. Despite his poor footwork, the batter deserves praise for shaping to cover for the inswing, but the ball suddenly decked away off the pitch and sent his off stump cartwheeling.
Bumrah spun away in front of it, enjoying his laser-guided precision and execution. The host broadcaster displayed a visual at about the same moment that showed the ball had swung in 0.3 degrees and seamed away 0.8 degrees. Bumrah’s lengths plus swing plus seam equals unplayable.
In the early exchanges, Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana attempted to swing the new ball, but they ended up delivering on the fuller side of a good length and were chipped or driven out over the infield for fours. Bumrah’s first ball was on the money because he swiftly assessed the situation.
Until the final overs, when he dug into his bag of tricks, Bumrah didn’t stray from his best choice, which was to knock it away on a good length or short of it. Of his 24 balls, 16 were either on or below that excellent length. He took two wickets as a result, and the pressure that followed made it possible for the opposition to take wickets as well.
In an instant, Bumrah changed the score from 16 to 20 overs. Bumrah and Varun can change a match from 12 overs to 20 overs when Varun Chakravarthy is playing well. India can employ Bumrah in any way they choose thanks to the presence of Hardik and Rana, who can also bowl throughout phases. When the team management decided to play just one specialist fast bowler in spin-friendly conditions in the UAE at the Asia Cup last year, they frontloaded Bumrah during the powerplay. India now has the choice to prevent Bumrah from dying.
While India’s turbo-charged batting continues to break records and leave jaws on the floor, it is their Bumrah-led bowling attack that could bring them back-to-back T20 World Cup titles.