Jasprit Bumrah an inspiration for both boys and girls, says Nita Ambani

His rise in international cricket has been phenomenal. Even a couple of years ago, he was seen mainly as a limited-overs bowler but from January 2018, Jasprit Bumrah showed that he is no less an achiever in the longer format. In his first year in red-ball cricket, Bumrah made rich exploits and was one of the fastest to reach 50 wickets against the West Indies in the series played in August-September. The 25-year-old, who was also India’s highest wicket-taker in the ICC World Cup 2019, however, is not playing in the ongoing series against South Africa at home because of lower stress.

Nita Ambani, chairperson of Reliance Foundation has lauded the bowler and said he is an inspiration for both young boys and girls. She has seen Bumrah from close quarters from the beginning as he made the headlines first while playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League. The franchise played a special role in promoting Bumrah after seeing his unique action and speed. The paceman has built on his skills through sheer hard work and is seen as one who would serve India for a long time to come.

“The transformational journey of a young boy who was discovered by Mumbai Indians from a small town of India has been exceptional. Today, Bumrah is an inspiration to countless young boys and girls. In the last 10 years, MI have discovered several young talents like Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya and so many more,” Nita, wife of industrialist Mukesh Ambani, said at the Sports Business Summit in London on Tuesday.

Nita calls sports ‘magical equaliser’

Nita, who promotes sports, also emphasised the positive impact it has on the lives of individuals. According to her, it acts as a “magical equaliser”.

“Sport is a great teacher, it is a magical equaliser and in a young country like India the aspirations are so audacious, the adrenalin so high and appetite to achieve so strong that if you can just guide and steer our in the right direction, they will script the most stunning success stories the world has ever seen,” she said. The MI have won the IPL the most number of times – four – since 2013.

The MI owner also praised India’s women saying they are breaking the glass ceiling in more areas of human endeavour, including sports. “Indeed women all over the world are doing so in sport and science, in boardrooms and courtrooms, in Bollywood and Hollywood, in politics and philanthropy, in effect anywhere and everywhere,” she said.

Reliance and Mumbai Indians have been a huge supporter of ‘Education and Sports for All Programme’ and under this, children are being provided with an opportunity to excel in fields of their preference. The recent NBA games in Mumbai also garnered massive support.

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