New York (The USA): India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is arguably the best all-format pacer in the world cricket, asserted that he never tries to "over-teach" the youngsters and let them have their questions to ask instead of bombarding a lot of information.
Bumrah, the third-ranked bowler in the ICC Test rankings, has shown exceptional form in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), finishing the season as the third highest wicket-taker of the tournament. He picked up 20 wickets in 13 games for the Mumbai Indians including a five-for (5/20) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) where he sent the likes of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Mahipal Lomror, Sourav Chauhan and Vijay Kumar Vyashyak back to the pavilion.
The 30-year-old will be leading India's pace bowling unit, featuring the relatively younger and less experienced Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh in the 2024 T20 World Cup, starting here on Saturday.
"You don't try to over-teach. That is something that I have learned. "Because whenever people need help, I let them have their own questions... Because you don't want to give too much information," Bumrah told the ICC's official website for the T20 World Cup.
The right-arm pacer said it is important for youngsters to know their path without being burdened with an overkill of information.
"It's not like they have just been lucky and they land here. So that is what I try to do. I do pass on certain information that I have gained over from my experience. But I don't try to burden them with (over) information. Because that is a part of the journey as well. That you have to find your own ways and solutions," he added.
Bumrah, who made a remarkable comeback to the international cricket after battling the injury which kept him out of the 2022 T20 World Cup, has managed to fight through and enjoyed a brilliant run in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He snared 20 wickets at an average of 18.65 with an economy of just about four in that event.
"Because (certain) things will go my way. (Certain) things will not go my way. All of these things will be a part of my process. So I have just realised that I started playing this sport. Because I love this sport. And I will focus on that rather than the end result. So in that aspect, you reduce your pressure. And you enjoy the sport. When you focus on those things. Rather than the things you cannot control," he added.
Bumrah, who hails from Gujarat, is the third-highest wicket-taker for India with 74 T20I wickets and is only behind which puts him third in India's all-time list. He is widely perceived to be the best among the current lot of international pacers when it comes to consistently bowling yorkers.
Bumrah said his consistent yorkers are a result of years of practice. "So I played a lot of tennis-ball, rubber-ball cricket when I was growing up. I used to play a lot with my friends in summer camps. I used to think that this was the only way to get wickets. Because I was a fan of fast bowling. I was really fascinated by what I saw on the television. So I tried to replicate that. Is it (tennis-ball cricket) a secret (to bowling yorkers) or not? I don't know," Bumrah wondered.
"But repetition surely is. Because I have kept this delivery. I still practice it. I keep on practising it. Because every skill that you develop, you have to practice it and make it stronger. So I think a combination of both would be the answer."
The Rohit Sharma-led side will play a warm-up match against Bangladesh at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Sunday. India are in Group A of the T20 World Cup, along with Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, and the USA. They will begin their campaign against Ireland on June 5.
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