Jasprit Bumrah should lengthen his run-up to add more pace: Neeraj Chopra

Reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, credited with popularising the javelin throw in India, offered an insightful advice to his favorite and India's premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, on enhancing his pace. Neeraj, a prominent presence at the ODI World Cup final held at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, lauded Bumrah's unique bowling style and designated him as his preferred fast bowler.

“I like Jasprit Bumrah; I find his action unique,” said Neeraj during the Indian Express’ Idea Exchange.

Bumrah's formidable performance during the World Cup helped him in amassing 20 wickets, with his exceptional ability to swing the ball both ways contributing to India's success. Despite Bumrah's stellar performance, Chopra suggested a minor adjustment that could potentially increase his pace.

"I feel he should lengthen his run-up to add more pace. As a javelin thrower, we often discuss how bowlers can increase their pace if they start their run-up from a little further back. I like Bumrah’s style," he added.

Reflecting on his experience as a fan attending the World Cup final between India and Australia, Neeraj said "This was the first time I watched a match fully. When I was on the flight, India had lost three wickets already. Virat (Kohli) bhai and KL Rahul were batting when I reached. There are some technical things that I don’t understand. Batting in the daytime wasn’t very easy. In the evening, I think, batting became easy. But our guys tried. Sometimes, it’s just not our day. But, frankly, everyone had a great tournament. 

"Maybe, somewhere mentally, the Australian team held an edge at the start. When they bowled, I found they had a strong mindset. In the end, they had completely flipped it over. They were confident about their game," he added acknowledging the challenging batting conditions during the day," he said.

Notably, Chopra holds the distinction of being only the third javelin thrower in history to secure both Olympic and World Championships titles, joining the esteemed ranks of world record holder Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic and Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway.