"I troubled everyone, got Ricky Ponting out 2-3 times" - Jasprit Bumrah reveals story behind his Mumbai Indians debut

Indian ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah on Saturday revealed the events that led to his Mumbai Indians debut in 2013.

On Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube show 'DRS with Ash', Bumrah said he wasn't supposed to play MI's first game of that season. But in the pre-match nets, he troubled everyone with his "big in-swingers" and even dismissed then-captain Ricky Ponting a couple of times, forcing the team to change their plans at the last minute.

Bumrah said:

"I had gone into the Mumbai Indians' camp and wasn't going to play the first game because Axar Patel and I had joined the camp late as we were playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The team was already practicing... I don't know what was that scenario but over there the practice wickets were very green. Back then, the white-ball used to swing (chuckles). I was bowling to Ricky Ponting and I used to bowl those big in-swingers and I troubled everyone, I got him out 2-3 times and they had a discussion, 'Ok this guy has something different, let's play him'."

Bumrah picked three wickets on his IPL debut, including that of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli. He only played one more IPL game in 2013 but it was enough to bring him into the international limelight.

Bumrah debunked the "myth" that the IPL is the sole reason behind his success in both white-ball and red-ball international cricket. The 28-year-old remarked that he's learned most of his cricket via the Ranji Trophy, saying that the elite red-ball completion has given him a base to fall back on in difficult situations.

Bumrah explained:

"I know people have seen me through the IPL but it's a myth that I've come into the Indian team and got picked everywhere through the IPL. Everything I know is through first-class cricket and domestic cricket. I came into the IPL in 2016. Yes, it gave me financial security... but till 2016, I did not play a single season in the IPL where I played regularly... I did not play the whole season ever till 2016 when I played for the country. So I learned my cricket through Ranji Trophy games."

"You play on different surfaces, you travel, you understand your game, sometimes you are tired after 6-7 games then you have to find a way, find that switch. I played for India A first in the red-ball format in Australia and picked up a fifer. I was selected later for white-ball formats. I was selected first in red-ball cricket because of my Ranji Trophy performances..."

The pacer added:

"Yes it (IPL) is a great platform, you rub your shoulders with the best in the world. But to understand your game and have that confidence of scoring runs and taking wickets, you have to play good amount of domestic cricket. And it really helps you because if you are carrying your team and performing regularly there, you've got that base to take to international cricket. You have something to fall back on, that 'Ok I have performed in first-class cricket, I have taken wickets like this'..."

Nine years after his IPL debut, Bumrah is now the fourth-highest wicket-taking fast-bowler in the tournament's history with 130 scalps from 106 games. The right-arm speedster is also India's vice-captain for the ongoing series against Sri Lanka.

"I didn't know where the ball would go if I bowl a yorker" - Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah further explained the role of his first-class captain Parthiv Patel and MI bowling coach Shane Bond in his development. He said Patel helped him learn basic skills while MI's management taught him field placements, batter-specific analysis, counter-plans and helped him grow out of his comfort zone.

Bumrah said:

"You can bowl around the wicket, you can use the short ball against the tail to get wickets - I learned all that by his (Parthiv Patel) advice. Then I reached the Mumbai Indians I had a set template. Because it had got me till here, as a cricketer, you think 'I will stick to it'... Shane Bond and Mumbai Indians' setup helped me plan for certain batters. I had 2-3 deliveries but I didn't know what field to keep when... I didn't know where the ball would go if I bowl a yorker..."

He concluded by saying:

"I started studying my own game then planning aspects came in that people are preparing for you know so you have to have things that are out of the people's thought processes... Shane Bond pushed me to go out of my comfort zone, try new things. He put me under pressure that 'this is a thing you have not done. That helped me widen my skill set."

Bumrah, who was MI's second retention for IPL 2022 after Rohit Sharma. is currently playing the 2nd T20I against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala. You can catch the live scores here.