‘Played Lot of Tennis-ball, Rubber-ball Cricket…’: Jasprit Bumrah Reveals Secret Behind Executing Yorkers Consistently – News18

One of the finest fast bowlers of the current era, Jasprit Bumrah has been also quite consistent across formats with his ability to nail yorkers a standout feature. Australia fast bowling legend Brett Lee has even called Bumrah one of the most complete bowlers in the world currently and feels only the Indian pace spearhead is executing yorkers consistently right now.

Currently in USA as part of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad, Bumrah has shed some light on how he added the lethal delivery to his armoury while growing up.

“So I played a lot of tennis-ball, rubber-ball cricket when I was growing up,” Bumrah told ICC. “I used to play a lot with my friends in summer camps. And on summer vacations. Or whenever you used to get a lot of time.”

“So when I was a kid, I used to think that this is the only way to get wickets. Because I was a fan of fast bowling. I was really fascinated by what I saw on the television. So I tried to replicate that,” he added.

Also Read: ‘3 Spinners, 2 Fast Bowlers, Hardik Pandya as Backup…’

Bumrah feels that ‘repetition’ is the secret to bowling yorkers and even today, he keeps practicing it.

“Is it (tennis-ball cricket) a secret (to bowling yorkers) or not? I don’t know. But repetition surely is. Because I have kept this delivery. I still practice it. I keep on practicing it. Because every skill that you develop, you have to practice it and make it stronger. So I think a combination of both would be the answer,” the 30-year-old said.

Bumrah missed the 2022 T20 World Cup as he was recovering from a longstanding back injury which also saw him miss the entire IPL 2023 and the final of the ICC World Test Championship in England.

However, since making a successful return, Bumrah says his focus has been on enjoying the game rather than the uncertainty surrounding it.

“Since I have come back from my injury, I have only focused on enjoying the game as much as I can,” Bumrah said.

“Because (certain) things will go my way. (Certain) things will not go my way. All of these things will be a part of my process. So I have just realised that I started playing this sport. Because I love this sport. And I will focus on that rather than the end result. So in that aspect you reduce your pressure. And you enjoy the sport. When you focus on those things. Rather than the things you cannot control,” he added.