Mumbai: Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma has heaped praise on young pacer Jasprit Bumrah, saying the Gujarat speedster has for sure got all the abilities to be No. 1 bowler in the world.
Bumrah finished the IPL 2017 campaign with 20 scalps. He would be joining the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami who all performed well in this edition of the IPL.
Bhuvneshwar finished with the Purple Cap for taking the most wickets (26) in the IPL 10. Last season, he took 23 wickets in 17 matches to become the leading wicket-taker.
“I would prefer not to say that he is the world’s best T20 bowler because, right now, he is doing a great job. I would like him to continue to do well. All those things when he sees will only add pressure on him. I don’t want to say anything,” said Rohit while addressing a press conference here in Mumbai on Monday.
Bumrah has time and again came out with stupendous performances and proved why he is one of the best in the business.
He displayed one such example of his brilliant death bowling skills against Gujarat Lions and help his team snatch victory from the jaws of the Suresh Raina-led side.
The lanky fast bowler conceded just six runs in the Super Over to help his team win by five runs against Gujarat Lions at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot.
Defending 11, Bumrah conceded only six runs displaying brilliant variations of slower deliveries, including a few in the blockhole and not allowing even the likes of Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch to score.
“He knows what his capabilities are. He has shown it throughout the tournament when he came to bowl the Super Over to probably the best T20 batters in Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum, defending 11 runs. He has got all the abilities to be No. 1 bowler in the world, for sure,” the Mumbai Indians skipper added.
Echoing similar views, Mumbai Indians bowling coach Shane Bond said that the 23-year-old pacer will definitely play Test cricket for India in the years to come and would become a world class bowler across all formats.
“He has always been put under pressure in our team to bowl the pressure overs because he has got the skills and the temperament to do it. And I think he has done it both for Mumbai and for India,” said Bond.
“I think he will definitely play Test cricket and be a world class bowler across all formats,” he added.
Going into the Champions Trophy, it would be an added asset for Team India with Bumrah continuing to bowl with such precision, especially in tight contests as that could make a huge difference for the success of the team.
ANI