Bumrah, the puzzle Aussies can't decode

Perth: Indian cricket has many reasons to thank John Wright, their first high-profile foreign coach. He injected a sense of professionalism in the set up but did it all without being overbearing. He cajoled and convinced them to embrace modern ways of training and preparing for an assignment. Yet, one of his biggest contributions to Indian cricket came eight years after he resigned as the national team's coach in 2005.        

The Kiwi may not have understood the true potential of Jasprit Bumrah when the former New Zealand skipper spotted the Gujarat bowler in a Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 match while scouting talent to recruit for Mumbai Indians in 2013. Wright thought Bumrah's unique action, which barely conformed with a typical fast bowling manual, would be ideal for the T20 format. And it was. Bumrah, in fact, was fast-tracked into the national team's white ball set-up by 2016 in Australia.

The now 30-year-old made an instant impact under MS Dhoni's captaincy, but with his body-twisting action, which appeared to put huge pressure on his back, not many believed he would last the rigour of Test cricket. However, the then Test team management of skipper Virat Kohli, head coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun saw a potentially great red-ball bowler in Bumrah. They worked on his fitness, strengthened the parts that needed to sustain the stress triggered from his complicated action and unleashed him on the tour of South Africa in 2018.

Since then Bumrah has been the most potent force in India's pace attack, winning matches both in India and abroad. His impact has been particularly impressive since his return to action late last year following a back surgery. The quick gave another demonstration of his evolution as one of the finest fast bowlers in the world in the first Test against Australia here.

His eight-wicket haul for the match not only got India back in the game from the brink, but also powered them to one of their sweetest wins away from home.

The pacer was lethal with the new ball, generating disconcerting speeds and movement off the track. And he was equally effective with the old ball, maintaining accuracy and playing the waiting game.

This is his third stint Down Under for a Test series, since his first tour in 2018-19, and his record here proves his liking for the conditions. In eight Tests he has 40 wickets at an average of 18.80 and a strike rate of 45.7, the most number of wickets outside of India (47 in 12 Tests).   

"I would never mind a wicket having bounce and seam because I love watching fast bowlers bowl and I love to bowl on such wickets as well because when you come to India the wicket is a lot different," he noted after India's 295-run win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener.

"Over here it's a different challenge with the Kookaburra ball. You get seam movement, you get bounce and different kinds of aspects that come into your play. Everything is tested and when the ball settles down, the ball gets a little older, it becomes easier to bat on. So then the challenge comes of your accuracy and the patience that you have," he elaborated.

The clarity of his thought isn't only evident with his bowling but his captaincy as well. While there is respect for his past and present captains, Bumrah is his own man.      

"My way is you have to find your own way, you can't blindly copy anyone," he emphasised. "Obviously, both (former skipper Virat Kohli and current skipper Rohit Sharma) of them are very successful, but I've never followed a copybook plan in terms of my bowling as well. If you can see I've never followed a module. I go with my instincts, and that's how I've always played my cricket, and I have a lot of faith in my instincts and gut (feeling)." 

The complexity of delivery style, that even makes a mockery of biomechanics, provides him a distinct edge over other contemporary seamers.   

"He's obviously got a fair bit of hyperextension in that elbow and does things, a lot of actions, one that you do," Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc said of Bumrah's bowling style. "So, there's no surprise that he's been a fantastic bowler across the formats for a long time. And again, his skills were on show today as to how, how good he is. So, yeah, I'm sure there's something in that release point. That’s significant to his action. It's something a lot of people can't do, so I'm not, I'm certainly not going to go and try it. I’ll probably snap," he offered.

The short run-up, the acceleration in the last four-five steps to the popping crease, the stiff legs and the arm speed make for an awkward but difficult-to-decipher action. The hyperextension of his elbow -- that allows his release point to be further than other bowlers -- also creates an illusion among batters who are always a fraction late to react to balls. Though his bowling has been demystified to an extent since his debut six years ago, he still remains the mystery bowler of the fast bowling variety.