IPL 2018 | Jasprit Bumrah is number one in the short format of cricket for a reason, feels Bond

Not many knew who Jasprit Bumrah was when he was handed his first IPL cap in 2013. However, the pacer picked up three wickets for 32 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore in his debut match. Since then, Bumrah hasn’t looked back as he made a name for himself in the shorter format of the game with his deadly yorkers and established himself as the death-over specialist in the Indian cricket team. Former Kiwi pacer Shane Bond, who is currently the Mumbai Indians bowling coach, has gone ahead to label Bumrah as "the best in the world in limited overs cricket". 

"Jasprit is right up there. He is the No 1 in the short form for a reason. And that's because he has (delivered) a sustained performance for a long period of time. If you ask people around the world about T20 cricket, they will talk about this bloke being at the top of the tree. All the teams across the world are looking for bowlers to do the job at the back end of the innings, and there is no better bowler than Jasprit (to do that)," Bond said to TOI.

Bumrah made his debut in Test cricket in South Africa earlier this year and the seamer took 14 wickets in three Tests at an average of 25.21. Bond, who claimed 87 wickets in 18 Tests at 22.09 average was impressed by Bumrah’s performance in the African continent.

"Having seen a little bit of the series in South Africa, there's no doubt that he can be in the Indian team for Test cricket as well. His start in Test cricket has been outstanding as well. He's a great asset for Indian cricket," complimented Bond.

Bond was quick to assert that the Indian pacer is only going to get better with time due to his strong work ethic and his open mind to learn new things from his coaches.

"I think he's a complete bowler. His action is unique. He's got a good bouncer, he can move the ball both ways, hits the deck hard, he's got a very good slower ball, and got a very good read on the game. He's always looking to add tools to it. As long as you are willing to learn, like Jasprit is, you are always going to get better. The more he plays, particularly at the international level, which he is going to play a lot, he is going to become better and better," Bond said.