I didn't get India call-up because of my IPL performances: Jasprit Bumrah

Many experts would have said that Jasprit Bumrah was a product of the Indian Premier League. Surely, the IPL must have helped him in getting some recognition but didn’t help him get his maiden call for the national side. On Sunday, during an Instagram live chat session with former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, Bumrah talked about the importance of Test cricket and a popular myth regarding him.

The speedster said that bowlers come to him and ask about ODIs and T20Is. However, Bumrah revealed that the young bowlers forget that playing Test cricket makes a complete cricketer.

“You have to play Test cricket to survive in the long run,” says Jasprit Bumrah

“Bowlers come up to me and say ODI T20 thik hai (ODIs, T20I is okay). But they forget, Tests make you a complete cricketer,” Bumrah said during an Instagram chat with Yuvraj Singh. “You have to play Test cricket to survive in the long run,” he added.

After this, the pacer went on to say that people think that his IPL performances got him into the Indian side, but it is a myth. He said that he appeared for Mumbai Indians for the first time in 2013, but didn’t play regularly in 2013, 2014 and 2015. According to the pacer, it was his performances in Vijay Hazare Trophy and the domestic circuit which gave him a call in the Indian team in 2016.

“That I made it to the Indian team by my performances in the IPL is a myth. 2013 is when I came into the IPL (for Mumbai Indians) then 2013, 2014, 2015 I was not playing regularly. I did well in (Vijay) Hazare and in the domestic circuit then I came into the Indian team in 2016,” the paceman said.

Bumrah is absolutely right while stating this. He had made his IPL debut in 2013. But in his first three seasons, he had only played 17 matches and taken 11 wickets. It was his performances for Gujarat in Vijay Hazare 2015 which laid the foundation for his India debut. He was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 21 wickets from nine matches, upon which he was called up for the national team in early 2016.

In fact, the fast bowler started playing regularly for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2016, after he had become India’s regular T20I bowler.