Mumbai (Maharashtra): Veteran batter Virat Kohli expressed his readiness to sign a petition declaring pacer Jasprit Bumrah as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World" and a "national treasure." He also mentioned that We (India) are lucky that he (Bumrah) plays for us.
Jasprit Bumrah was vital cog in India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, becoming the player with lowest economy in the single edition of the tournament history. He claimed 15 wickets, third most, at an average of 8.26 and an astonishing economy rate of just 4.17, the best among those who bowled a minimum of 20 overs in the tournament. For his exceptional performance throughout the competition, Bumrah was adjudged as the 'Player of the Tournament'.
When the host Gaurav Kapoor asked if he would be willing to sign a petition for Jasprit Bumrah to become the eighth wonder of the world, Kohli didn't hesitate a single bit to say "yes."
"I'll sign the petition for Jasprit Bumrah (to be the eighth wonder of the world right now). He is a once-in-a-generation bowler," Kohli said at the team's felicitation at the Wankhede Stadium.
Kohli further elaborated on his admiration for Bumrah, saying, "I like to name a guy who brought us back in this T20 World Cup again, again and again in every difficult situation; this is Jasprit Bumrah. Jasprit Bumrah is a once-in-a-generation bowler. We are lucky that he plays for us."
The title clash was tilted towards the Proteas with 30 runs required in as many balls and six wickets in hand. But then, came skipper Rohit Sharma brought Bumrah, who was yet to bowl his two overs, back into the attack and what he did was something extraordinary. He swung the momentum in India's favour by giving away just six runs and picking up Marco Jansen's wicket, which was followed by exceptional overs by all-rounder Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh to help India to lift the second T20 World Cup title.
Bumrah finished with remarkable figures of 2/18 from his four overs, helping India secure a thrilling seven-run victory. Bumrah's extraordinary performance not only led India to victory but also etched his name in the annals of cricketing history.
"Like everyone in the stadium (here), we also felt at one point if it is going to slip away again, but what happened in those (last) five overs was truly, truly special. You know what I'd like everyone to do is applaud a guy who brought us back into games again and again and again in this tournament. What he did in those last five overs, bowling two out of the last five overs, was phenomenal. A huge round of applause for Jasprit Bumrah, please," said Kohli on what he felt with only five overs left in the game.
The 35-year-old lifted the 2011 World Cup, legendary Sachin Tendulkar's sixth and the final ICC tournament, under MS Dhoni's leadership on home soil, his very first ICC tournament. Tears of joy were pouring out of Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh's eyes. Kohli witnessed the similar everlasting moment unfold right in front of his eyes after prolonged period of 11 years, asserted that he was finally able to connect to the emotions of his senior players after 13 years, why senior players were crying after winning 2011 ODI World Cup.
"I couldn't connect with the emotions of the senior players who cried that night, but now I do," Kohli added.
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