'I can't control what people write': Jasprit Bumrah hits out at critics after five-wicket haul in Headingley Test

The pattern at Headingley on a cloudy Sunday (June 22) was all too familiar. A trend that we have seen far too often in recent years - India's Test bowling attack looking toothless and inconsistent for significant periods, only for Jasprit Bumrah to deliver the goods time and again. 

The pace ace registered yet another fifer in Tests, his 14th in Tests from just 87 innings. Bumrah now has 210 wickets at a remarkable average of 19.33, and he takes a wicket approximately every seven overs. These are unreal numbers, considering that he has delivered across the globe in all kinds of conditions against various opponents. For a man with such stats and a likeable persona, you'd think that nothing would offend Bumrah as such, but it isn't the case. When it comes to his fitness, everyone from a teammate, selector or BCCI officials to the pundits in the press and outside have something to say.

 

Bumrah, when he started out in 2016, was expected to be a specialist white-ball bowler alone, as the dynamics of his unique bowling action suggested that a Test career could be suicidal. However, the pace spearhead is now into his tenth year in international cricket, closing in on 50 Tests. When you factor in the IPL and international white-ball cricket along with the immense pressure of being India's numero uno strike bowler, Bumrah has not just survived but also thrived. While he has had his share of injuries, Bumrah is irked at the overhype that his fitness gets in the media and elsewhere. 

 

"I always wanted to play for India. I played for India on my belief. I have played every format on my belief," said Bumrah at the press conference after the third day's play. 

 

"I have always heard 'no' from people. First they said 'you won't be able to play'; then they said 'you will last only six months'; then they said 'you will last only eight months', and just like that I have spent ten years in international cricket listening to all this. I have played the IPL for 12-13 years."

 

Generally known to be a private man, Bumrah has hardly spoken about the details of his injuries or their rehab programmes in public. Which is why all the talk of  'this injury could be the one' is now starting to irritate Bumrah no end. He understands that many of these comments stem from affection and the sheer passion that cricket inspires in the country. Nevertheless, he feels that people sometimes go overboard without considering the rational side of the whole topic.

 

"I can't control what people write," he said. "Nor am I trying to teach people what to write and what not to write about me. Everybody is free to write what they want. I understand cricket is very popular in our country, and I understand that using my name in the headline boosts the viewership. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter to me. Because if I let it get into my head, I will start believing it. I need my beliefs and my ways to dictate how I go. Not the way others want me to play."

 

Playing all three formats of the game alongside the IPL does mean a hefty workload, but it's one that Bumrah has monitored with a fair degree of success. There has been criticism, particularly when he has played IPL games during periods when he could have logically taken a break from the game amid his international schedule. But that is easier said than done, given how much his presence means to Mumbai Indians and the IPL in general. A sportsperson is the best judge of his/her body, and Bumrah is now at that stage of his career where he knows exactly what to expect from himself.

 

This is why he politely declined the Test captaincy, even though he was the apparent choice following the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. With workload management being a constant in his career, Bumrah felt that the captain must be someone who could play every Test match, a thought that also aligned with head coach Gautam Gambhir and the BCCI. Prior to the ongoing Test series, Bumrah had reportedly informed the selectors that three games is the most he might be able to play in the series as a part of managing his body. While speculations continue over which other Tests he shall play, Bumrah isn't too concerned about the future.

 

"You don't look at what is going to happen in the future. You are there in the ground at that moment. You have to do a job. So at that moment, I'm trying to assess the wicket. I'm trying to assess what is happening, what are my options, how is the wicket behaving, who's the batter there, what is he thinking, how do I outsmart him or what do I do? I look at all of those things at that moment. I was not thinking about what will happen or how many games I will play. At this moment, focusing on the Test match. When the match is over, think about all these permutations and combinations."

 

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