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How Kohli And Shastri Unleashed Jasprit Bumrah In Test Cricket; A Masterstroke In Making

Bumrah in action Vs Bangladesh [PTI] Bumrah in action Vs Bangladesh [PTI]

It won't be an understatement to say that Jasprit Bumrah is the greatest bowler produced by Indian cricket. He has the guile, the skills, the temperament and the ability to turn things around when nothing is going well for your side.

When Bumrah made his IPL debut in 2013, few could have imagined him playing Test cricket for India. Now, fast forward 11-years later, he is the most important player in this Indian team, and the bowling attack suddenly lacks the cutting-edge when Bumrah is not around to deliver.

How one phone call changed Bumrah and India's Test destiny

He made his white-ball debut in 2016, and while he performed exceedingly well in his debut year, people still doubted his ability to play Test cricket, since the format demands different set of skills. In Test cricket, no matter how many runs you score, it is always the bowlers who wins you matches by picking up 20-wickets.

India were to tour South Africa in January 2018 for a 3-match Test series, and a couple of months before the series commences, the then head captain/coach duo of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri wanted an X-factor in the team, someone who is different from other pacers. This is when Shastri realised they already have a gem in the form of Bumrah.

Shastri and Kohli believed in Bumrah's ability and they wanted to unleash him on South African pitches known for hostile pace and bounce. So, before the series, Shastri connected with Bumrah, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I remember my first call to him, it was in Kolkata,” Shastri said during his recent chat with ‘The Times’.  I asked him would he be interested in Test cricket. He said that would be the biggest day of his life.

"He was labelled as a white-ball cricketer without asking him. But I knew. I wanted to see how hungry he was. I told him to get ready, be prepared. I told him I was going to unleash him in South Africa," Shastri said.

Bumrah is now India's greatest all-format player

There is nobody better than Bumrah across formats. He performs for India in Tests, in ODIs, and was recently adjudged the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup as well.

In 37 Tests, Bumrah has scalped 164 wickets, at 20.51. In ODI cricket, he has 149 wickets in 89 matches, and the champion bowler has bagged 89 wickets in 70 T20I games.

Recently, he also completed 400 wickets at the international level during the first Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai.