Jasprit Bumrah’s hunger to do better makes him one of the best: Sunil Gavaskar

He has played just nine Tests so far in his first year in the longest format but already picked up 48 wickets, making a mark as one the best starters in the version. Jasprit Bumrah came to the Test arena almost two years after his international debut and already with three five-wicket hauls, he is raising the bar with each passing day, extracting some of the best compliments from former greats, both from India and Australia.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is the latest to praise the pacer saying his hunger to keep learning to improve himself makes him one of the best modern-day bowlers. Bumrah has played only Tests overseas this year in South Africa, England and Australia and is the third highest wicket-taker in Tests in 2018 after his mate Mohammed Shami with 47 scalps. South African Kagiso Rabada is the topper with 52 scalps.

He is always learning

Gavaskar opined that Bumrah is keen to add to his variety in the bowling arsenal and that he developed a lethal out-swinger during the Test series in England in which he took 14 wickets despite missing the first two games because of injury. In the ongoing third Test in Melbourne, Bumrah turned the match in India’s favour by taking eight wickets in the game, including a six-for in the first innings, his best figures in Tests so far. With 19 scalps, he is the highest wicket-taker from either side in the series which still has one Test left.

“What makes him [Bumrah] special is that he is a learner, he is a better bowler than what he was yesterday. He wants to bowl better than what he has bowled in the previous over. He is always learning, always experimenting, trying to add to his bowling repertoire. He didn’t have the out-swinger but by the time the England tour ended he developed the out-swinger as well,” Gavaskar told India Today on Saturday.

The year 2018, however, was a historic one for the Indian pace attack as Bumrah, Shami and Ishant Sharma took 136 scalps in unison, bettering the 130-wicket tally between Windies Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Malcolm Marshall in 1984.

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