ONE OF A KIND

Former Kiwi captain Wright, who spotted Bumrah in 2013, feels the 32-year-old is in territory of greatness.

- FIROZ MIRZA

BE it their 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa or the semifinal of 2026 edition versus England at a batter-friendly Wankhede wicket, it was Jasprit Bumrah who choked opponents for runs bringing India back in the game. Two years ago, he was the player of the tournament while the pacer deservingly was named as player of the final a few days ago in Ahmedabad.

The 32-year-old from Ahmedabad has been the difference between India and the rest more often than not.

The difference became more prominent on the wickets where runs were in abundance and the same was witnessed during the semifinal and final of the 2026 edition. The opponents were left with no option than to discount Bumrah's four overs from the equation no matter how big the targets were. It was the case with England, who lost the match by seven runs chasing an improbable target of 254. It was no different when New Zealand came out to bat chasing 256 in the summit clash.

The right-hand fast bowler finished with 14 wickets, joint-highest along with his compatriot Varun Chakaravarthy. It was former New Zealand captain John Wright who introduced Bumrah to the world almost 13 years ago while scouting talents for Mumbai Indians. As luck would have it, it was his find that deprived New Zealand of an ICC title on March 8.

Irrespective of which team he is playing against, Wright, 71, enjoys Bumrah bamboozling batters with his accurate line and lengths and same might have been the case during the final. "Well I sort of sit quietly and watch on the television and enjoy watching him (Bumrah) bowl," Wright told this daily when spoken about Bumrah's exploits in the recently-concluded T20 WC.