Jasprit Bumrah comes across as a cool and calm cricketer. Seldom does he get into confrontations with rival players or gets overwhelmed by situations. But that doesn’t reflect the right image of Bumrah, the cricketer.
In his own words, the speedster likes to be in the “thick of things”.
“I don’t want to hide behind, I want to be in the thick of things. I always wanted to do a tough job,” Bumrah said in a video shared by BCCI.
Bumrah played a stellar role in India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign, capping it with a Player of the Match-winning performance in the final against New Zealand. He finished the tournament as the joint-highest (with Varun Chakravarthy) wicket-taker — 14 scalps — and a stunning economy of 6.21.
Bumrah said that he relishes moments and matches in which he makes a difference. “I’ve played cricket for that. I started cricket for that. When I’m able to make a difference, that gives me so much joy. No better feeling than that,” the 32-year-old said.
The World Cup final win came in Ahmedabad, Bumrah’s home ground. That carried added significance for the pacer.
“I started my cricket here (in Ahmedabad). I played all my cricket here, came up the ranks through playing for Gujarat over here... The last time (2023 ODI World Cup final) we fell just short, this time we went over it, really happy,” he said.
Bumrah also spoke about the presence of his family during the title triumph, calling the moment deeply personal.
“My son came... My mum came... Really special. I don’t know about full circles, but really, really happy... Back-to-back World Cups never really happen. Really grateful God is really kind, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”