"Can he sustain that for a period of 10 or 12 years?"- Indian legend makes big statement about Jasprit Bumrah after ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Former India captain and pace bowling legend Kapil Dev has questioned whether Jasprit Bumrah can play another 10-12 years of cricket with his bowling action. The 1983 World Cup-winning captain opined that since batters did not face bowlers like Bumrah in the nets, they found it harder to play him in a match.

He also felt that Bumrah did not have an athlete's action, but admitted that he became as good because of his ability to generate pace with a short run-up. He said on "The Squirrels" YouTube channel:

"There are two things that always come out. Any bowler in the world with an awkward action takes that much difficult time for a batter to pick the ball like Malinga. Those types of bowlers we don't practice in the nets, and suddenly out of the blue, somebody comes with a different action, a difficult action, that fraction of a second, if you can't pick what he's trying to do, that is good enough for a bowler.

"So, Bumrah has become very good because nobody could imagine from a batsman's point of view that in such a short run up, he can generate such big pace. His action is not like an athlete's action; that's why Bumrah can be devastating for the opposition. But can he sustain that for a period of 10 or 12 years, which, as a cricketer, we feel is difficult."

January 2026 will mark 10 years since Bumrah made his international debut against Australia in Sydney. Despite the presence of slow-motion replays and other sophisticated technologies, batters around the world continue to find it hard to face the 31-year-old due to the awkward nature of his bowling action.

Kapil Dev reveals Sunil Gavaskar's lesson from his playing days

During the 1970s and 1980s, Indian cricket's hopes of doing well against the best teams in the world hinged on Sunil Gavaskar's performance at the top of the order. Kapil Dev revealed a lesson he learned from the 76-year-old during their playing days. He said:

"I remember one small lesson I got from Sunil Gavaskar. He said to me, 'Kapil, when you bowl close to the wicket, it is very difficult for me to judge what you are trying to do.

"So, I don't know when to leave the ball and when to play. But when you bowl from wide of the crease, I can see the ball much better. So that one small point, sometimes only your colleague can say, others may not understand."

Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar were part of innumerable great moments in Indian cricket, including the likes of the 1983 World Cup win in England and the 1985 World Championship of Cricket victory in Australia.