Jasprit Bumrah once again proved he is one of the best bowlers in the limited-overs format. The 23-year-old was one of India's stars as they clinched T20I series against New Zealand last night (November 7) in Thiruvananthapuram.
Due to rain, the series-deciding contest was reduced to eight overs per side. India successfully defended 67 to take the trophy 2-1.
Bumrah took two wickets for nine runs his his quota of two overs. He won the Man-of-the-match and also Player-of-the-series awards.
This was not the first time that Bumrah had remained calm and delivered under pressure. It has become a habit for him to bowl exceedingly well in the new and old balls.
For his latest success, Bumrah came in for high praise from head coach Ravi Shastri. The former Indian all-rounder called the right-arm pacer "outstanding".
"Outstanding temperament. He (Bumrah) has got all the tools of the trade. What he has shown over the years is not just the skill, he has got upper storey (brain) which is bright. He is thinking all the time, which is very good," Shastri said when asked whether Bumrah was the best bowler in white-ball cricket.
After the win, Bumrah said, "It was a good day. Slower delivery was gripping, so we wanted to stick to a basic plan. I and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) had a chat before the innings. After watching the first innings, we saw them bowling slower deliveries, but our balls weren't gripping, so we had to bowl it back of a length and mix them with yorkers. I wasn't thinking too much, just focusing on every ball and on executing them."
As Bumrah continues to make his mark in international cricket, his chances of playing the longer version increase. He is yet to play Tests and during the recent tour to Sri Lanka had revealed that he dreams of playing five-day cricket.
