"He is making us fall in love with Test cricket" - Aakash Chopra lauds Jasprit Bumrah for becoming No. 1 ranked Test bowler

Aakash Chopra has lauded Jasprit Bumrah for becoming the top-ranked bowler in Test cricket.

Bumrah jumped three places and replaced Ravichandran Ashwin as the No. 1 bowler in the ICC Test rankings. The Indian pacer picked up 15 wickets in the first two Tests of the ongoing series against England and was chosen as the Player of the Match in the second game in Visakhapatnam.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that Jasprit Bumrah is rekindling people's love for Test cricket. He said (3:15):

"With what he (Bumrah) is doing currently, he is making us fall in love with Test cricket. When a batter scores a hundred or a double hundred, he stays at the crease for a long time, so it just captures your imagination a little more because you have seen him bat for seven hours."

The former India opener praised the unconventional seamer for delivering the goods in unhelpful Indian conditions.

In Tests in India, we look at spinners, because they pick up six or seven wickets, and 10 or 12 wickets in a Test match and you say - 'Wow'. Fast bowlers, because they bowl short spells, don't capture your imagination as much, especially in Indian conditions," Chopra added.

Chopra pointed out that Bumrah moves the ball both ways at high speeds. He added that batters are virtually helpless in front of him at times, highlighting that they are unable to save themselves even if they are aware of the trap laid out for them.

---

"You generally don't look for all-format players in modern-day cricket" - Aakash Chopra on Jasprit Bumrah excelling across formats

Jasprit Bumrah is the fastest Indian seamer to 150 Test wickets. [P/C: Getty]

Aakash Chopra observed that Jasprit Bumrah, unlike most modern-day players, has proved his credentials in all formats. He stated (2:30):

"He is an amazing player. You generally don't look for all-format players in modern-day cricket. The players are coming with that perspective and the selectors also are looking with that perspective."

The reputed commentator added that the Gujarat seamer has reached lofty heights despite missing a lot of cricket due to his back injury.

"However, a player who couldn't continuously play all cricket, went through an extremely serious injury and was out for a very long time, the way he is bowling since returning from that - a lot of bowlers come but some bowlers remain in your memory and are exceptional till the time they play," Chopra elaborated.

Bumrah is the sixth-ranked bowler in the ICC ODI rankings. He is at the 100th spot in the T20I rankings, primarily because he has played only two shortest-format games since September 2022.