Before acing yorkers, Jasprit Bumrah was told to avoid them
What's the story
Jasprit Bumrah is currently one of the most lethal fast bowlers across formats. His propensity to land searing yorkers, especially in the death overs, stands out. However, over a decade ago, when Bumrah made his India debut, he was advised to avoid yorkers. The advice came from someone who had never seen Bumrah bowl before that day. What followed is history!
Debut details
Bumrah's international debut
Although Bumrah was active in the IPL, he made his international debut in 2016. MS Dhoni was India's white-ball captain back then.
India were 4-0 down in the five-match series Down Under. In Sydney, Australia set India a daunting target (330), but Bumrah's brilliant spells with an uncanny action caught the attention.
Manish Pandey later powered India to their only win of the series. However, India discovered a gem in Bumrah.
Impression
His first impression
Five years ago, in an interview with the Times of India, Bumrah revealed that Dhoni hadn't seen him bowl before the SCG ODI.
"Not many people know that Mahi bhai had never seen me bowl at any level," Bumrah said.
He added that when he asked if he could bowl yorkers, Dhoni told him not to because he thought it was a difficult delivery for a debutant.
Match performance
Bumrah nails yorkers
Despite Dhoni's skepticism, Bumrah bowled some perfect yorkers and gave away just three runs in the 49th over of Australia's innings.
He ended his debut with figures of 2/40 in 10 overs, a remarkable feat considering all other bowlers were expensive.
This performance proved that Bumrah was capable of executing difficult deliveries like yorkers at any juncture.
Post-match conversation
A memorable conversation
Bumrah also revealed a post-match conversation with Dhoni, where the former captain expressed his confidence in the young bowler.
"I told him 'In death overs, I don't know what else to do.' So, anyway, I went ahead and did my thing and then he came to me and was like 'I didn't know this at all. You should've come earlier, we would've won the whole series,'" Bumrah recalled.
Career
Best all-format bowler
Cut to 2026: Bumrah is the most impactful bowler across formats.
From bowling long spells to acing the death overs, his adaptability makes him one of the most prolific modern-day bowlers.
The right-arm seamer became a proud owner of 500 international wickets.
Only eight Indians, including Bumrah, have touched this mark so far. His bowling average of 20.56 is the best among all Indians with 500 wickets across formats.