Enjoy bowling with Dukes ball because it offers support for bowlers, admits Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah reckoned the Dukes ball helps bowlers more
|BCCI
Jasprit Bumrah has admitted that he enjoys bowling with the Dukes ball, which has more support on offer for the bowlers in comparison with Kookaburra or the SG. Bumrah also revealed that he always had the outswinger, but took time to master it due to not being confident about executing it.
England’s Dukes ball has always been hailed as the bowler’s ball, with its support to the bowlers, be it in terms of the swing on offer or be it its shine, making it a pacer's dream. Its use in the country has always made England one of the most relished places for pacers and recent results serve as a testament to the same.
India's pace stalwart Jasprit Bumrah, who picked up 14 wickets in his first three outings with the Dukes against England and then later tormented the Windies with the same cherry, admitted that he loved bowling with the dukes and stated that advantage it gives almost, in a way, levels the playing field, with modern-day cricket predominantly favoring the batsmen.
"I love bowling with Dukes. It seams, it swings, so basically when you have a little bit of help, it does help as it is difficult to be a fast bower with grounds getting shorter and wickets getting flatter," Bumrah was quoted as saying by TOI.
"So if the ball does something, it becomes an even competition. So you feel you are in the game. With no help, you only have few things to play with. So I enjoy bowling most with Dukes ball," he added.
On top of that, the right-arm pacer also revealed that he always had the outswinger in his armory, but took time to master it and unleash it at the international level due to not being so confident about executing it. The 26-year-old further revealed that the Dukes helped him in the Caribbean too, a country where he picked 13 wickets in just two games.
"So I had the outswinger but when I came into the international set-up, I wasn't confident about it, maybe it wasn't coming out well, maybe the pace, you should have the feel of it. Slowly, you work on it in the nets. In the West Indies, the ball (Dukes with pronounced seam) was helpful, conditions were helpful," he concluded.
