'Mahi Bhai had never seen me' - Jasprit Bumrah reveals why MS Dhoni asked him to not bowl yorkers during ODI debut

Ever since one legend of a captain MS Dhoni has announced his retirement, teammates have been unstoppable in sharing their experiences with him. While some lauded his splendid leadership skills, some simply adored him as a genius cricketing mind. There would not be a cricketer in India who has not been touched by his presence, and Jasprit Bumrah is another addition to the list.

The deadly pacer recalled an interesting incident where MS Dhoni asked him not to bowl yorkers, keeping in mind that it’s a difficult delivery. The right-armer told that every single person in the team ‘respects his decision’ and of course, he remains a special person for him as well. He sported the Indian jersey for the first time under MSD’s captaincy.

“Well, it was his decision, and everybody respects it. At a personal level, I made my debut (Sydney, 2016) under him, and he gave me a lot of confidence,” Bumrah said while speaking to The Times of India.

The 26-year-old is regarded as a specialist in death overs and can handle tight situations well enough. However, when he marked his debut, the then Indian skipper wasn’t much aware of his game. When Bumrah asked him if he can bowl yorkers, the skipper didn’t approve it.

MS Dhoni felt I wouldn’t be able to pull it off: Jasprit Bumrah

“Not many people know that Mahi Bhai had never seen me bowl, at any level. In my debut game, I was going to bowl in the death overs, and I asked him ‘can I bowl yorkers?’ and he was like ‘no, don’t bowl yorkers’. He thought since it was a difficult delivery, I wouldn’t be able to pull it off. I told him ‘in death overs, I don’t know what else to do.

“So, anyway, I went ahead and did my thing, and then he came to me and was like “I didn’t know this at all. You should’ve come earlier, we would’ve won the whole series,” added Bumrah.

The speedster added that when he received this comment, his happiness knew no bounds, and it was one of Mahi’s best aspects that he gave him a lot of freedom. Bumrah will next be seen showing his class for Mumbai Indians in the upcoming IPL.