Virat Kohli has called Jasprit Bumrah “the most complete bowler in world cricket”. Those words were understandable, coming at the end of a Test series in which he picked up 13 wickets in two Tests at the average of 9.23.
“There is not much you can say about Jasprit, the way he has been bowling,” Kohli said in his post-match press conference after India completed a 2-0 series win in the West Indies. “All we can say is we are really lucky to have him on our team.
“It is really pleasing to see a guy who was tagged as a T20 specialist, he came in and took over the one-day scene, and now he is taking over Test cricket”
“Very rarely do you find a pack of bowlers who are hunting together. And bowling for each other, bowling in partnerships. If you see today, he had a bit of a niggle, but he came in and just bowled three overs in a spot, did the job for the team when he was in pain as well.”
Watching Bumrah from the slips, Kohli says he sympathises with the batsman facing him. The 25-year old has only played 12 Tests but already has 62 wickets at 19.24.
“It’s not all about going for wickets all the time, it’s about bowling in partnerships, but when he gets some kind of momentum, you can see what he can do in five-six overs with the new ball which we saw in the first innings [he took a hat-trick]. I haven’t seen many more lethal spells than that in the last couple of Tests, than those two spells by Bumrah, and as a batsman you feel, standing in [the] slips, you can feel for the batsmen who are playing him, you know.
“He confuses you with angles, with swing, he’ll set up for the outswinger, then bowl the inswinger, and it’s coming at pace, and then he can hit you with bouncers as well. So, I think he is the most complete bowler in world cricket right now.”
Asked what made Bumrah the bowler he was, Kohli said it was the effort he puts in to improve constantly.
“It’s the mindset, when you put your mind to a certain thing, you strive towards it,” Kohli said. “He definitely wants to be the best bowler in the world, there is no question about it. He has moulded his life like that, he has moulded his discipline, his work ethic, the way he trains, the way he takes care of his diet, the way he bowls as much as he has to.
“He has absolute control of what he is doing. So when he steps out on the field, he knows how much he can contribute for the team. It is really pleasing to see a guy who was tagged as a T20 specialist, he came in and took over the one-day scene, and now he is taking over Test cricket.
“He is proving people wrong [when they say] that there is a set template for every format. If you have belief, you can play every format. I totally vouch for that as well. He definitely has the mindset to succeed in all three formats and wants to be the best in the world.”
Asked about India playing Ravindra Jadeja ahead of R Ashwin as their lead spinner on this tour, Kohli said the left-armer’s control won him the spot.
“It’s the control we can bank on with Jadeja,” he said. “He has probably been our most consistent and most accurate bowler away from India, and there is a reason why he is constantly playing in the eleven, because he gives you control even when the wicket is not supporting his bowling.
“As a batsman, when the bowler is pitching balls in areas where you can get out constantly even when it’s not turning so much, he is always in the game, and that’s his USP, with the bat, with the ball, and in the field there is no one better than him in the world, so he is just in a great zone right now.
“He is willing to contribute for the team all the time, and you can see he wants the ball. He wants to do the job for the team, and when a guy is bowling like that and when he is in that mindset, then your job becomes easier.”