Former Indian cricketer Lakshmipathy Balaji has hailed Jasprit Bumrah as the best pacer Asia has produced after Pakistan legend Wasim Akram. Balaji believes Bumrah can achieve greatness over the next decade, especially if he can help the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup 2024 title.
Balaji shed light on how Wasim achieved legendary status through his performances and noted the similarities Bumrah has with the former Pakistan fast bowler.
Here's what Balaji had to tell Hindustan Times about Jasprit Bumrah and Wasim Akram:
"Wasim bhai, the ultimate. Bumrah is the next best in our continent only after him. I feel this is the right time for Bumrah to chase greatness over the next decade, particularly if he can single-handedly win India this World Cup. They both have identical traits, they have changed the dynamics of fast bowling. Their upper bodies are strong, they have hardly any follow-through."
Balaji reckons that it is the upper body strength that helped Wasim and is helping Bumrah to produce threatening deliveries even when there isn't much help from the pitch.
Jasprit Bumrah is the most complete fast bowler right now: Balaji
Lakshmipathy Balaji is convinced that there isn't a more complete fast bowler in world cricket at the moment than Jasprit Bumrah. No matter the phase of the game or the format, Bumrah delivers the goods, according to the former Indian pacer.
In the same interview, he said:
"He (Bumrah) is just the most complete fast bowler right now. Look at him -- Test cricket, white-ball cricket, doesn’t matter. New ball, he will get the job done. Old ball, he can reverse it phenomenally. Middle-overs in limited-overs games, his variations and his repertoire make him a wicket-taker, not someone who just contains the flow of runs."
Balaji himself being a former pacer knows the impact a major surgery can have on the confidence and pace of a fast bowler. This, he said, is what makes Bumrah's comeback from lower-back surgery even more incredible.
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