Varun Aaron draws parallels between Jasprit Bumrah and Wasim Akram

India were quite comprehensively outplayed during the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Despite winning the series opener, they succumbed to a 3-1 loss at the end of the five games. The sole highlight of constant success from the Indian contingent was pace-bowling spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah. Despite being on the losing side, he shone throughout and ended up winning the Player of the Series accolade.

Former Indian pacer, Varun Aaron, compared Bumrah's series Down Under to the level of mastery which Pakistani great, Wasim Akram, would exhibit. He also shed light on Bumrah's biggest strength, which made him a tough nut to crack.  

“That’s one of the finest series I’ve seen an Indian fast bowler have. I would say the last memory I’ve had of a subcontinent fast bowler bowling that way is that of Wasim Akram - absolutely doing whatever he wanted to do with that cricket ball, and that’s what Bumrah did this time. I think he makes the best use of his natural ability, which is pace off the wicket. That’s why, no matter how many times you play Bumrah, you can never really line him up. He’s so quick off the wicket. That’s because he’s very hypermobile. He gets that extra whip through the end of his action. And that’s what’s his biggest strength,” stated Aaron, as quoted by The Hindu.

The more experienced they get, the better they’ll get: Aaron

Aaron further highlighted the glaring difference in skill level of the pacers other than Bumrah in comparison to the right-arm speedster. 

"I would say India have to still work on the other parts around Bumrah. Because, in the BGT series, Bumrah was a standout by far. Nobody could come close to him. And I feel that gap should narrow if India want to win tours abroad. I think it’s just about experience. You’ve got a young fast-bowling line up, except for Bumrah. Siraj also has not been there for years. He’s also pretty new. So, I think the more experienced they get, the better they’ll get,” he added.

Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah reaches Bengaluru for scans ahead of England ODIs

In the nine innings, Bumrah bowled for India Down Under, he secured 32 dismissals at a remarkable average of 13.06. Striking at 28.37, he recorded an impressive economy rate of 2.76.