Jasprit Bumrah is good enough to play Test cricket, feels Glenn McGrath

What’s the story?

Legendary Australian seamer Glenn McGrath has expressed excitement on India’s promising pace attack. Singling out Jasprit Bumrah for his recent exploits, the 47-year old backed the right-armer to carry his impressive limited-overs form to Test level.

McGrath said, “To see so many fast bowlers come through (from India) is wonderful. To be a fast bowler in India is the toughest job in the world. The wickets here are conducive to spin and batting. One has to really work hard as a bowler, especially a paceman. To see (so many) people bowling at 140 kph-plus, high 140s is promising.”

When asked if Bumrah can play Test cricket, he felt, “Of course, he can. I think he bowls yorkers really well. He has got a good slower ball. Those things are good for the shorter version of the game. With the longer version, it is just about building pressure and having good control. If you are successful in one form of the game, you can transfer that to the other. He is good enough. I have been impressed and he can get better.”

The Context

Since taking over as the role of Director of MRF Pace Foundation from fellow countryman Dennis Lillee, McGrath has played a key role in helping India unearth some quality fast bowlers. Bumrah was among those pacers whom he worked extensively with during the last few years.

The heart of the matter

Insisting that Bumrah is a different type of bowler with an unique action, McGrath alluded to his smartness during the most difficult phase of the limited-overs formats. Praising his intelligence at the death overs, the veteran admitted to being impressed by the 23-year old’s skill set and urged him to continue his form.

Since making his international debut against Australia at Sydney last year, Bumrah has played 13 ODIs and 24 T20Is thus far. Apart from producing steady performances in those games, he also has a handy first-class record with 89 wickets from 26 matches at an average of 25.33.

What’s next?

On a flat track at The Oval, Bumrah was the most economical bowler in India’s surprise defeat to Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy. He will need to come up with a similar effort to tackle South Africa’s powerful batting lineup in the crucial knockout clash at the same venue on Sunday.

Author’s take

With the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma manning India’s pace attack in Tests, Bumrah may find it difficult to break into the squad in the near future. An eye-catching season in the 2017 Ranji Trophy should go a long way in placing him in the reckoning for the longest format.