'He Is The Best': When WI Great Andy Roberts Applauded Jasprit Bumrah

image-ls8rfvgxJasprit Bumrah the star bowler (X.COM)

West Indies fast bowling great Andy Roberts had hailed and praised Jasprit Bumrah as the best Indian bowler after the first Test match between India and West Indies in 2019 at North Sound, Antigua. 

Bumrah claimed 5-7 in a sensational eight-over spell in the second innings at Antigua as India romped its way to a record 318-run win and that performance had seen the pacer come in for significant praise from Roberts.

He was instrumental in India winning their maiden series in Australia in 2018-19 and also holds the distinction of being the first bowler from Asia to take five-fours in South Africa, England, Australia and West Indies. 

He had performed exceptionally well in Antigua series and Andy Roberts believed it was Bumrah’s maturity and ‘game sense’ with the ball that separates the India pacer apart from others.


When WI Great Andy Roberts praised Jasprit Bumrah

To me, it has been the most striking feature of him (Jasprit). Some call it maturity. I call it game sense. There seems to be clarity in his thinking, and that automatically shows in his bowling. Some bowlers, very skilful ones, don’t develop it even 10 years after they had played the game. That’s the biggest thing for a fast bowler, to learn how to use your head".


"In my time, it was all spin, thinking back to the India attacks of the past. "Good ones, but they wouldn't win you matches overseas. India had Kapil Dev and some others, but we never thought they could produce someone as lethal as Bumrah. He's the best Indian fast bowler I have seen."

'Bumrah's pace catches my eyes first'- Andy Roberts. 

"It's the pace that catches my eyes first. I wouldn't say the pace is the biggest asset of a fast bowler but I would say it's the most valuable one. If you have pace, batsmen fear you, because, at the back of the mind, they are thinking of safety, how to avoid being hit. You can mix the pace and fool them."

Jasprit Bumrah has now claimed a total of 155  wickets in 34 Tests at a bowling average of 20.19 and he is the fastest Indian bowler in history to claim a half-century of dismissals in the format. The 30-year-old will next be in action on February 15, 2024 against third Test between England and India at Rajkot.