3 reasons behind Jasprit Bumrah's meteoric rise in international cricket

When Jasprit Bumrah made his IPL debut in 2013, everyone felt that the youngster showed some promise.He surprised everyone, including RCB, with figures of 3 for 32 on IPL debut. He even scalped his future skipper, Virat kohli, in the process. But no one could have predicted what was about to come.

Bumrah's rise from a promising youngster, to one of India's most prolific wicket taker across all formats, has been no less than meteoric. Owing to stellar performances in the IPL and in the domestic circuit, he was given his first chance to represent the country in the ODIs versus Australia in 2016.

There's an instresting story behind it. Bumrah was picked for the T20 team but not the ODI squad. But an issue with the visa resulted in Bumrah reaching Sydney before the start of the 5th and final ODI. And as luck would have it, Bhuveneshwar Kumar got injured before the match. So Bumrah was drafted into the squad and surprisingly got to play as well.

He returned as the team's most economical bowler in the match. Since then, he has never looked back. Here are some factors that played a monumental role in his meteoric rise in international cricket.

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#1. His slingy and original action

Bumrah's slingy action makes him an asset for his team

If you were asked who has the weirdest action in international cricket,you would in all probability, name Bumrah. And that is what makes him so difficult to face. It may be weird but it is extremely effective.

His hand comes down as if a slingshot has been released, which results in the ball being hurled at the batsman at breakneck speed. Not to mention the extra bounce that he generates off the wicket.The bio meachanics of his action are such that he can generate considerable pace and bounce effectively. And it works so well because it is original. It hasn't been copied and it hasn't been changed.

Originality is so important in sports. What works for you might not work for someone else and vice versa. You've gotta feel free to let technique go for a toss. Bumrah's action may have technical glitches to it, but it doesn't matter as long as it works for him.

#2. Yorker

His pinpoint yorker makes him so destructive in limited overs cricket.

So often we have seen in sports that seemingly small practices in childhood play a huge role in shaping certain aspects of a player's game. There is a similar story behind Jasprit Bumrah's yorker.

A young Bumrah used to scurry around the house during the hot Ahmedabad afternoon, bowling at the walls with a cricket ball. This daily act of his, coincided with his mother's afternoon naps. Naturally, a cricket ball hitting tiles and a wall, creates a lot of noise. So, his mother put a stop to this.

But young Jassi, as he was fondly called during childhood, wasn't going to let this stop him from bowling. Eccentric as he was, he found an innovative way out. Instead of pitching the ball on the tiles, he started pitching the ball right at the meeting point between the tiles and the wall. So the ball hit the skirting and bounced right back into his hands, thus ensuring minimum noise. This is how majority of his afternoons were spent and his most lethal weapon was born.

Today, he can deliver the yorker with utmost precision. It this skill of his, combined with raw pace, that makes him so destructive. Especially in limited overs cricket.

#3. Versatility

Apart from yorker, Bumrah has a good slower ball in his armoury

When Bumrah first burst onto the scene through stellar performances in the IPL, everyone conceived him as a limited overs specialist. Experts and fans both believed that Bumrah wouldn't be able to replicate his limited over performances in the whites. But he proved them wrong.

The versatility and mental adaptation that he displayed was worth a pat on the back. There was a stark contrast in his mindset in the tests as opposed to his mindset in the ODIs and T20s. He very subtly changed his line and length, constantly probing that off stump line in the tests, making the batsmen drive. And the results were visible in the form of a five wicket haul against South Africa. And he will be keen to pull off similar performances versus England, where he is predicted to be playing a pivotal role.