One of the players who played an inspirational role in earning an outstanding victory for India in the ICC T20 World Cup was Jasprit Bumrah. He is being hailed as the world’s best fast bowler and that is an extraordinary compliment for an Indian bowler. Not since Kapil Dev has any Indian bowler had the impact that Bumrah has had in recent times.
The legendary West Indian fast bowler Andy Roberts said that if Bumrah had been a Caribbean islander, he would have been selected for the West Indies team when it was at its peak. Bumrah can be ranked with Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, and the rest. Coming from Andy Roberts that is high praise indeed.
What makes Bumrah a lethal bowler?
Sometime ago England’s fast bowler Stuart Broad had analysed Bumrah’s bowling and said: “Facing Bumrah is unlike facing any other bowler. Bumrah’s deliveries are extremely hard to pick up early. With a short run up, he trots in with his shuffle and there seems to be no energy going into his action. But suddenly he releases the ball so fast that it is disconcerting.” Bumrah was the backbone of the Indian attack in the key matches of the T20 championship. He took 15 wickets in the tournament at a miserly economy rate of 4.17.
Arshdeep’s swing was devastating
But another surprise packet was Arshdeep Singh. The tall and lanky Sardar finished with a total of 17 wickets to complete as the top wicket-taker of the event along with Fazalhaq Farooqui of Afghanistan. When playing against the USA, Arshdeep bagged the ‘Player of the Match Award’ after taking four wickets conceding just nine runs in four overs.
Such was his mastery over swing that former Pakistan captain Inzamam Ul Haq accused the Indian bowler of tampering with the ball to make it reverse swing from an early stage. But the Pakistan skipper failed to explain why all the other bowlers were not benefitting from the ball-tampering. This fact proved that there was no tampering involved. Arshdeep was able to make the ball talk with his skills.
At the end of the final match, his celebratory Bhangra dance with his Punjabi teammate Virat Kohli was a sight to remember.
India’s spin wizards
In the spin bowling department, there was Kuldeep Yadav whose guile spelled doom for any batsman who was even slightly off guard. Kuldeep along with Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja ensured that the pressure on rival batters was constantly maintained. There was no room to relax. What is more, they complemented each other perfectly. Within a broad framework of left-arm spinners, they cooked up different types of dishes that tempted the batsmen into errors.
Our bowlers gave a wider array of weapons to the captain Rohit and coach Dravid. No other team had this variety and depth. To top it all, Rohit was a master in using these combinations with maximum effect.
A bulldozer named Rohit
Rohit did a splendid job as captain and also executed his role as a batsman with aplomb. His approach was a simple one. Under all circumstances, he used the long handle with gusto. Like a bulldozer, he swept away the opposition. His pulverising power subdued all opposition with devastating effects.
Rohit’s 92 off 41 balls against Australia were unbelievable. Against one of the best bowling attacks in the world he showed exactly what makes him a great batter. His tally of 257 runs was the second-highest in the entire tournament and his strike rate of 156.7 was higher than any other player. He also slammed three half-centuries that put India in the driver’s seat.
Looking back at the tournament, this team which left the Indian shores with little expectations, proved to be the top guns of the event. They had the skills, variety, and strengths to win the trophy and fulfill their mission. In the end, it was India that deserved to win and it did.
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