Lot of grooming went into Jasprit Bumrah before he was drafted in Tests, reveals MSK Prasad

With a bench strength like the Indian cricket team’s, it’s an advantage as well as a challenge for the national selectors who are bound to take tough decisions more often than not. But one of the best decisions made by the panel was the drafting in of Jasprit Bumrah who has turned out to be one of India’s best pacers ever not just in limited-overs but also in the longest format.

After being recognized for his orthodox action and rare ability to hit the blockhole, Bumrah got a lot of attention and following a successful domestic season in 2015, he got a national call-up. At the same time, India’s the then ace pacer Mohammad Shami was suffering from a string of injuries. So Bumrah’s selection became a regular affair ever since he made his debut in early 2016. Following impressive performances, the pacer was also incorporated into the WT20 squad as well. 

However, Bumrah only made his Test debut two years after his limited-overs debut. And according to Prasad, it was because the right-armer wasn’t seen as a red-ball specialist at first. So the management decided to put him through a fitness and grooming regime. 

“Not many believed that he could play Test cricket. So when the selectors and the team management realised that a bowler like him can be handy when we toured abroad, we set him on a fitness and grooming regime,” Prasad was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.

“We rested him from a limited-overs series and made him play Ranji before we picked him for the South Africa series. So there was planning that went behind Bumrah,” Prasad added.

Till date, Bumrah has scalped 62 wickets in just 12 Test matches and is the highest-ranked Indian bowler in Tests.