‘Bumrah Shandaar…’: ABD’s message for newly-crowned no.1 Test bowler

NEW DELHI: “Bumrah shandaar bowling karta hai,” said former South African skipper AB de Villiers as he lauded the premier India pacer Jasprit Bumrah following his outstanding bowling performance in the second Test against England in Vizag.
Bumrah, who took nine wickets in the two innings of the second Test, on Wednesday, became the first Indian pacer to grab the No.1 spot in the ICC Test bowlers’ rankings.
De Villiers has heaped praise on Bumrah for simply ‘outbowling’ his colleagues against England and help India level the five-match series at 1-1.
“Bumrah bowls brilliantly. What a bowler, Jasprit Bumrah! He outbowled other Indian bowlers, but I feel the others took their turn, and it was hunting in packs,” de Villiers said in his youtube channel.
“Their (other Indian bowlers) figures don’t look great, yes. But they did play a role in setting up for him. It is not an individual sport, and this is what I like about this Indian attack.”
Bumrah was on song in the second Test, claiming his career best figures of 6 for 45 on Indian soil and his impeccable yorkers were simply unplayable.
“That (yorkers) is certainly his (Bumrah’s) weapon across all the formats he plays in. Playing against him, I would always think of the yorker as his stock threat or main threat. Even in Tests, he picks a lot of wickets with that,” de Villiers said.
‘Gill showed incredible character’
Although Bumrah walked away with the man-of-the-match award, a huge amount of credit should also go to young opener Shubman Gill, whose 104-run knock in the second innings was key to India’s 106-run win.
“He (Gill) came to Vizag and just showed the incredible character that the young man has got. What an incredible player!
“I don’t know if he has worked on his technique at all or has anything changed, but it just shows you the talent he has got,” the South African said.
“In the second innings of a big Test match, that was a telling hundred, and let me tell you, that was the difference between the two sides,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)