Jasprit Bumrah knows when to use variations better than most bowlers: Ian Bishop

Ian Bishop heaped praise on Jasprit Bumrah for his understanding of when to use his variations. The star Indian pacer has been in sensational form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, having bagged five wickets from three matches.

Bumrah was ruled out of the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in 2022 after suffering a back injury. India missed his services dearly, as they were knocked out by eventual champions England in the semifinals. Bumrah has returned to the T20 World Cup this year and is showcasing his exemplary skills in helpful conditions.

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Bumrah's five wickets have come at a remarkable average of nine and his economy rate is a miserly 4.09. The 30-year-old won the Player of the Match award in India's first two games, against Ireland and Pakistan.

In the clash against Pakistan, India were in a spot of bother, with Pakistan needing just 40 off 36 balls. However, Bumrah dismissed a set Mohammad Rizwan and cracked the game open. Off the final ball in the penultimate over, the Ahmedabad-born accounted for the wicket of Iftikhar Ahmed to turn the tide in favour of the Men in Blue.

"Jasprit is smart, a good communicator who thinks about the game. It starts from the foundation, but he has also developed variations and knows better than most bowlers when to use his variations," Bishop was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"You hear him say, 'it's not every day I go hunting for wickets - there are days I bowl my yorker at the stumps, days I bowl a wide yorker; there are days when I assess conditions and bowl my slower ball into the pitch or use my bouncer'. In addition to that, he has other ingredients," he added.

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Bishop noted that batters don't look to take the attack to Bumrah, mainly because of what he can do, but also because of the reputation he has built for himself over the years.

"He has a unique action where the ball gets on to you a lot quicker than batters anticipate, the full toss [that got Iftikhar, for example] is because of that. Sometimes they don't get smashed because they get on to you. Of course, when you develop that reputation… when I bowled with Curtly Ambrose, Matthew [Hayden] never put a foot wrong against Curtly because of his reputation, but he'd look to smash me. This guy is a generational bowler," the cricketer-turned-commentator said.