Jasprit Bumrah bowled vs South Africa like a 40-50 Test veteran: Virat Kohli | Cricket - Hindustan Times
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Jasprit Bumrah bowled vs South Africa like a 40-50 Test veteran: Virat Kohli

Hindustan Times, Johannesburg | By
Jan 28, 2018 10:42 PM IST

Jasprit Bumrah’s rise from being a T20 specialist to a Test bowler has been exemplary, feels Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli.

India captain Virat Kohli is highly impressed with the evolution of Jasprit Bumrah from a limited –over specialist to a Test bowler in this series. Bumrah was a surprise selection in the Test squad but the management almost stunned the South Africans by picking him for the first Test in Cape Town.

Jasprit Bumrah’s effort in the Johannesburg Test against South Africa was appreciated by Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli.(AFP)
Jasprit Bumrah’s effort in the Johannesburg Test against South Africa was appreciated by Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli.(AFP)

Since then, Bumrah has gone on to take 14 wickets, just one shy of Mohammed Shami who was India’s top wicket-taker in this series. Kohli couldn’t have been happier with his performance and even said that he fits perfectly in his team.

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“He fits perfectly into the ideal XI for us. He is someone that has given us breakthroughs when wanted in the series, he has bowled his heart out. So, I am really happy for him,” said Kohli on Saturday.

“He really wanted Test cricket badly and has shown what a high class bowler he is. He probably bowled with the experience of a guy who has played 40-50 games. If you see his pitch map, only three balls today were full-length deliveries, everything was length and back of length, and he really made life difficult for the South African batsmen,” said Kohli.

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Starting out with the Mumbai Indians franchise in the Indian Premier League, this has been some rise by Bumrah who till some months back was considered good only for limited overs matches. But the foresight of the team management has made an opening bowler out of Bumrah now. Kohli, naturally, is happy this gamble has paid off.

“I am really delighted for him, he is someone who works really hard on his game, and he has certainly come a long way from being limited-overs to specialist to doing outstandingly well on this tour. I am really, really happy for him,” he said.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Somshuvra Laha is a sports journalist with over 11 years' experience writing on cricket, football and other sports. He has covered the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, the 2016 ICC World Twenty20, cricket tours of South Africa, West Indies and Bangladesh and the 2010 Commonwealth Games for Hindustan Times.

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