"Bumrah is the most complete bowler at the moment" - Vernon Philander praises the Indian pacer for his recent exploits

Former South Africa pacer Vernon Philander has rated Jasprit Bumrah as the leading bowler in the world at present, following his brilliant set of displays since returning from a lengthy layoff in August 2023.

The right-arm pacer recently became the first Indian bowler to reach the summit of the ICC Rankings for Test bowlers, right after his nine-wicket effort in the second Test against England in Vishakapatnam.

Bumrah, arguably already one of the greatest pacers that the nation has ever produced, has been wreaking havoc across all formats since his return. Spearheading the Indian bowling unit, he is bound to play a huge role for India in the remainder of the ongoing series against England, as well as future assignments, which include the crucial 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.

"Bumrah is the (most) complete bowler at the moment. He has got magnificent skills and he has also learnt the trade of holding a line and length and that is the reason behind his success at the Test level," Philander told 'PTI Bhasha' in an interview on the sidelines of the SA T20 Tournament.

"Initially, he wanted to bowl wicket-taking deliveries all the time and leaked runs but now he has learnt consistency," Philander added.

Bumrah has taken 16 wickets across the first two Tests against England, which is a huge achievement considering the matches are being played in typical subcontinent conditions.

He has troubled the visitors with exceptional reverse swing bowling, as well as the surprise cutters as well as his trademark odd yorker.

---

"I feel he is going to play a massive part in the tournament" - Vernon Philander on Jasprit Bumrah's role in the 2024 T20 World Cup

Jasprit Bumrah missed out on the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia, where he would have had a serious say in the proceedings. Despite the pace department doing a relatively solid job during the tournament, the Men in Blue missed Bumrah when it mattered the most.

This time around, barring any unfortunate injury issues, the pacer will lead the Indian seam attack as they hope to end the decade-long ICC silverware drought, after coming agonizingly close on multiple occasions in recent times.

"He swings the new ball, brings the stumps into the play, and challenges the batters upfront. He is phenomenal with those change-ups and lethal yorkers and that is the skill set you want in the T20 World Cup. I feel he is going to play a massive part in the tournament and perhaps also be the best seamer," Philander said.

Bumrah's last T20 appearance came during the away series against Ireland in August 2023, where he also led the side. This time around, he will be partaking in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in a bid to adjust to the shortest format following a string of seven Test match appearances.