India vs Sri Lanka: Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant – Lankans rocked by Team India's dual phenomenon
India vs Sri Lanka: Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant – Lankans rocked by Team India's dual phenomenon
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The name Kapil Dev has been in the news quite a bit recently. Only last week, it was concerning Ravichandran Ashwin’s latest record-breaking feat. The off-spinner went past the legendary all-rounder’s tally of 434 wickets on the third day of the first India-Sri Lanka Test. That was a Sunday. Exactly seven days later, Kapil Dev’s name cropped up again during the second India-Sri Lanka Test, and not just once.
It first happened when Jasprit Bumrah walked back to the pavilion having picked up his first five-wicket haul on home soil. What was so special herein, you ask? With the hectic international schedule, COVID bubbles and the need to preserve a rare pacer like him, Bumrah doesn’t play too many home Tests. In that, it was a celebratory feat in itself for the fans to see him live in action.
Trust statisticians to dig deeper though. This was Bumrah’s eighth five-wicket haul in 29 Tests, which put him on equal pegging with Kapil Dev’s record. India’s first-ever proper speedster too had achieved his eighth five-wicket hauls in his 29th match – a small milestone on Kapil Dev’s eventual journey to 23 five-wicket hauls in his glorious Test career, the most for an Indian pacer. If you are a betting person, drop everything here and now, and go put good money on Bumrah equalling or breaking that 23-haul record.
For that is what Bumrah is at present – he is a modern-day phenomenon. Sure, Indian cricket is blessed in its fast bowling wares at present. On the one hand, you have Mohammed Shami, who has arguably the best seam position with a red ball currently. Mohammed Siraj is keenly following in his footsteps, and Ishant Sharma is just about taking his leave. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav provided ample bench strength until now, and the younger lot is just about starting to come in.
Bumrah, though, stands out amongst all of them. Maybe it is his action, unorthodox to the hilt, but unleashing pure pace in its delivery stride. Such a unique action means an extra burden on his back muscles, and it has been a cause of injury concern for him. Bumrah works hard at it, and coupled with game-time management, he should be able to overcome any difficulties. But, it just isn’t about the action alone.
He has the ability to bang the ball in, and move it both ways off the seam. Not so much a swing bowler, this movement gets amplified in overseas conditions and definitely with pink ball cricket at home. Then, there are the variations. Slower balls and yorkers-at-will, he has the nuance to set up most batters. He might just be close to a perfect fast bowling machine.
In a short span of time, Bumrah has proven many detractors, pundits and ex-cricketers wrong, as he has wreaked havoc in different parts of the world. As concerns Test cricket in India, he could end up being a pink ball specialist, unless a particularly tough opponent like Australia comes visiting (February 2023). This series has shown how India might use Bumrah in that scenario.
Mohali was almost a run-in after taking a break from international cricket. It is not to say that he didn’t look the part there. In Bengaluru, Bumrah was in his proper element. Even as Sri Lankan batters prepared to fend off Indian spinners, his opening spell came as if out-of-syllabus and left them stumped. If seam movement late on day one (and then again on day two) pegged four wickets for him, then a surprise burst of pace did the trick early on Sunday afternoon.
Sample this. Angelo Mathews was out caught off a delivery bowled at 123 clicks on Saturday evening. That slow variation of a delivery seaming away tempted the batter to play at it and he was caught at slip. On Sunday, when the lights weren’t working in the pink ball’s favour, Bumrah’s burst of pace hurried both Lasith Embuldeniya and Niroshan Dickwella, and left them stunned.
There is no particular mannerism to Bumrah’s bowling, and with so many tricks up his sleeve, it is almost impossible to predict what he is going to bowl next. It was long said that Wasim Akram had 12 different variations in an over. Bumrah can at least bowl six different deliveries in an over, which is why he is such a joy to watch in the longer format of the game.
The second Kapil Dev reference was more direct. Rishabh Pant smashed his way to the fastest Test half-century by an Indian batsman. His 50 off 28 balls broke Kapil Dev’s almost 40-year-old record off 30 balls against Pakistan (Karachi, 1982).
If Bumrah is a singularity with the ball, Pant is an equal phenomenon with the bat. Phrases like “method to his madness” do not apply anymore. There is a tinge of genius in his batting displays, for only a magician can produce such a display on that raging turner of a wicket.
This is a new version of Pant that we are witnessing. It is different from the earlier versions – first, he was finding his feet until 2018. Then, in Australia, he took it to another level. Only he could have authored that Brisbane victory heist, and he did. Since then, Pant seemed to have regressed a tad, playing more aggressive cricket than the stable variant we saw in Australia.
Perhaps the team management wanted him to search for a balance between the two. Someone like Ravi Shastri had always spoken about not changing the way Pant batted, similar to the manner Bharat Arun stressed about not changing Bumrah’s bowling action. This current version of Pant, then, is the end result of a long-term process.
Batting way out of his crease to control the turn, sweeping and pulling, not afraid to back away and cut late, and then playing the reverse-sweep out of nowhere – Pant’s knock was a recipe for chaos with a modicum of control about it. Of course, Pant’s stay at the crease walks hand-in-hand with an instantaneous possibility of dismissal. He continues to live by the sword, and die by it. Are you not entertained?
Almost a decade ago, when Indian cricket stood at the cusp of a major transition, we wondered who would carry forward the legacy of Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble. Virat Kohli and Ashwin raised their hands. As Indian cricket embarks on yet another major transition, the dual phenomenon of Bumrah-Pant assures us of a future legacy.
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