Is Jasprit Bumrah in Wasim Akram, Malcolm Marshall's league? ‘Not yet’, says Ex-India cricketer. Here's why
Does the recent success mean Jasprit Bumrah can be put in the same bracket of Wasim Akram and Malcolm Marshall? Former India batter and now broadcaster Sanjay Manjrekar feels "not yet."
Jasprit Bumrah has hit a purple patch. To be honest, he has never been too far from it ever since making his international debut in the 2014-15 Australia tour. But now cricketing greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Nasser Hussain believe Bumrah is at the peak of his game and is currently the best all-format bowler in the world. He is outstanding with the new ball, equally good at the death, can make both the red and white ball swing and has a combination of a slower one and a bouncer that can leave even the best of batters scratching their heads. Does that mean he can be put in the same bracket of Wasim Akram and Malcolm Marshall? Former India batter and now broadcaster Sanjay Manjrekar feels "not yet."
"Not yet, the potential is there but the problem with comparisons is that Wasim Akram and Malcolm Marshall, these are the guys who have done it over a long period of time and done it in all conditions. These are all-time greats, and we experts are very hard people to please," Manjrekar told Sports18.
Explaining the rationale behind his thought, Manjrekar pointed out that Bumrah has hardly played any Test matches in India. He has to prove his mettle on sub-continent tracks too to be considered an all-time great. Bumrah has picked up 14 wickets in the four Tests that he has played in India so far. The reasons for the number being so low is the Indian team management's thought process of resting Bumrah and keeping him fresh for the away tours.
"Interestingly, if you look at Bumrah and if you see the number of Test matches he has played in India, hardly any. So taking no credit away from him, because India tends to rest him in certain games, but that test is still there for Bumrah," Manjrekar said.
When asked about whether Bumrah is currently the best in world cricket, Manjrekar said "absolutely" before adding the name of Rishabh Pant as India's current best Test batter.
"Absolutely. I was just thinking, currently on form when you look at India's best batter in Test cricket - Rishabh Pant, and Bumrah - your current No. 1 best bowler in maybe all formats, and both these guys are so out of the box with their technique," he added.
"The day he arrived on the T20 scene, that is how he rose to recognition, you could see that this is a smart guy. His background is also typical of guys who are very street-smart in the way they bowl, these are products of competitive soft-ball cricket. He knows where to put the ball to each batter."