Lasith Malinga didn’t teach me the yorker: Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian fast bowler, has clarified that Lasith Malinga hasn’t taught him the art of bowling yorkers. The 26-year-old has been one of the finest exponents of nailing the toe-crushers with sheer precision. On the back of his skills, the speedster has flourished across formats. Bumrah has been rubbing shoulders with Malinga in the Mumbai Indians’ camp for quite some years.

Hence, there were talks that Bumrah learned a lot about yorkers from the Sri Lankan legend. But Jasprit was clear-cut in saying that Malinga didn’t teach him anything on the field of play. Rather, the youngster learned how to conduct himself and plan a batsman’s dismissal without getting angry.

It was all about trying to hit the batsman on the full: Jasprit Bumrah

“Many people believe that he taught me the yorker, but that’s not true. He did not teach me anything on the field. The things I learned from him are about the mind. How to handle different situations. How to not get angry. How to make a plan for a batsman,” Bumrah was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times.

Bumrah joined the Mumbai setup back in 2013, but it was in 2016 when he rose to fame with some sterling shows. The performances also opened the doors on him for selection in the national team. Going in the 2020 IPL, he has carved a reputation of being an indispensable member of the team. Bumrah feels that one has to bowl yorkers to take wickets at regular intervals.

“We had rubber balls, super tight ones, with a seam, it used to swing. We did not play on pitches, so there was no seam movement or length balls or caught behinds. It was all about trying to hit the batsman on the full. If you want to take wickets, you have to bowl yorkers. I still believe that’s what makes me street smart,” he added.

Bumrah has recently recovered from a stress fracture on his back that he developed prior to the T20I series versus South Africa in September. However, he has been picked for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, starting January 5 at Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium.