I didn't make international debut due to IPL: Jasprit Bumrah
Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah believes consistent performances in domestic cricket helped him break into the national side. He said that the Indian Premier League was not a lead-up to his international debut. In an Instagram live session with former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, the 26-year-old reiterated that youngsters should focus on Test cricket in order to survive in the long run. Here's more.
"That I made it to the Indian team by my performances in the IPL is a myth. 2013 is when I came into the IPL. I was not playing regularly. I did well in domestic circuit and hence came into the Indian team," Bumrah said.
Bumrah made his First-class debut in a Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha in 2013. His quirky action straightaway grabbed eyeballs as he scalped seven wickets in the match. He finished the season with 38 wickets in eight games at 21.16. Bumrah was the leading wicket-taker in the 2015 Vijay Hazare Trophy, having snapped up 21 wickets in nine matches at 16.10.
Bumrah burst on to the international arena with a consistent run in the domestic circuit. He was soon drafted in the Indian side for the white-ball tour of Australia in 2016. He earned his debut call-up in the fifth ODI wherein he impressed with figures of 40/2. Two days later, he played his debut T20I and emerged as the pick of Indian bowlers with 23/3.
Bumrah stressed the significance of playing Test cricket. He feels the longest format should be the target. "Bowlers come up to me and say, 'playing ODIs and T20Is is fine'. But they forget, Test cricket makes you a complete cricketer," Bumrah said during the conversation. He added, "You have to play Test cricket to survive in the long run."
Since his Test debut in 2018, Bumrah has taken 68 wickets from mere 14 matches 20.33. Notably, he has not played a single Test at home as of now. In 2019, Bumrah became the third Indian bowler to take a Test hat-trick (vs West Indies).
