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Sun, Jan 05, 2025 | Rajab 5, 1446 | DXB
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Why Jasprit Bumrah reminds you of Indian soap opera 'Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin'
Jassi and Jasprit, two unassuming heroes, one fictional and the other real, but both making an impact in their inimitable styles
India's Jasprit Bumrah adjusts his cap on the fourth day of the fourth Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. — AFP
In 'Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin' (There is no one like Jassi), the Indian soap opera which drew inspiration from the famous Colombian TV series 'Yo soy Betty, la fea' (I am Betty, the ugly one), the main protagonist is a bespectacled young woman with an unconventional fashion sense who goes on to achieve some beautiful things in life and make people fall in love with her refreshing simplicity.
Recently Indian media has drawn a parallel between 'Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin' and Jasprit Bumrah, the cricketer who is almost singlehandedly keeping his country’s hopes alive in an engrossing five-Test series against Australia.
Armed with a unique sling-arm action and a short run-up, Bumrah defies conventional norms of cricket and bamboozles the batters with his pace, variations and relentless accuracy.
Bumrah hasn’t found success overnight — he has been a menace for batters for many years, but he hit a purple patch in 2024.
Having dragged India from the jaws of defeat against South Africa in the nail-biting final of the T20 World Cup last year, Bumrah finished the tournament with 15 wickets at an astonishing average of 8.96.
In Australia, he has picked 30 wickets in four Tests at 12.83, comfortably overshadowing the Australian pace attack featuring Pat Cummins (20 wickets at 22.65) and Mitchell Starc (15 wickets at 28.73), while becoming the first bowler in history to take 200 Test wickets at a sub-20 average (19.42).
Bumrah clean bowls Australian batsman Sam Konstas. — AFP
The 31-year-old has achieved all this with a smile on his face, not quite the toothy grin of Jassi, but an uplifting one, even after a fielder drops a catch off his bowling.
And he is doing all these incredible things without resorting to sledging. He is also without adequate support from the other end, as the rest of the Indian bowlers have struggled for rhythm, and their batters have failed to put up a collective fight after the impressive display in the second innings of the first Test, which India won.
If not for Bumrah’s lionhearted efforts with the ball, Australia would have twisted the knife into Indian wounds and it's nothing sort of a miracle that the Indian team still have a chance to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy by winning the last Test in Sydney.
The significance of Bumrah’s brilliance has now also compelled Australian cricket pundits and their media to hail him as the greatest fast bowler ever to have toured Australia for a Test series, even putting him above Richard Hadlee, Curtly Ambrose and Malcolm Marshall on the list of legendary pacers who conjured magical spells Down Under.
While Bumrah may never surpass those legends, many former Australian players believe their batsmen have never faced a more awkward foreign fast bowler than the Indian player who has tormented the batters with his unorthodox action and deadly accuracy.
Perhaps, the Indian media hit the bull's-eye by comparing Jasprit to Jassi of 'Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin' — two unassuming heroes, one fictional and the other real, with both emerging from humble backgrounds to make an impact in their inimitable styles.
Coach deserves praise
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, who is holidaying in Dubai, credited Bumrah’s coach at junior level for not changing his one-of-a-kind bowling style.
Indian cricket legend Dilip Vengsarkar. — Photo by Muhammad Sajjad
“I must thank his first coach (in Gujarat) for not changing his action because it’s very important for youngsters to continue with their natural style,” Vengsarkar told the Khaleej Times on Thursday.
“What sadly happens is that at the junior level, coaches tend to change the action of a youngster if they see anything unconventional. If you do that, the youngster might lose that natural ability to perform. Many youngsters suffer because of that kind of coaches at the junior level.
“So I must congratulate his coach, I don’t know who coached him when he first started playing cricket. But that coach has done a fantastic job.”
Legal action?
A section of fans, especially in Australia, have raised some question marks over Bumrah’s action, some even going to the extent of calling him a ‘chucker’.
But legendary Australian cricketer Greg Chappell slammed the cynics for doubting a generational talent.
“Please stop this nonsense of questioning Bumrah’s action. It is unique, but it is unequivocally clean. It demeans a champion performer,” the former Aussie batsman wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Bumrah bowls during a nets session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. — AFP
Vengsarkar, Chappell’s former on-field foe, revealed the two most remarkable features — humility and resilience — about Bumrah which propelled him to the higher echelons of the game.
“Most of the great fast bowlers, barring a few, never said anything to the batsmen or they never showed aggression. You saw their aggression in their performances. The way they bowled spell after spell and took wickets and won matches. And Bumrah is one of them,” said Vengsarkar who scored six Test centuries against the fearsome West Indies pace attack in the 1980s.
“Bumrah is just an exemplary cricketer and an ideal role model for youngsters. It’s so good to see the way he conducts himself on and off the field.
“And also, since people are now talking about how he is carrying the whole burden alone (in Australia), let's not forget that Bumrah is a fast bowler who came back from a very serious back injury.
“He had surgery for his back problem, which kept him out of the game for a long time. But the way he has come back and performed consistently is simply fantastic. It shows his commitment and passion for the game and discipline.”
As good as anyone
For all his efforts, India may still lose the five-Test series against Australia if the demoralised team fail to bounce back from the final session collapse in the Boxing Day Test.
But Bumrah will return like a hero, casting a spell over the Australian cricket fraternity and a batting legend in Vengsarkar, who was the world’s number one ranked batsman for 21 months in the 1980s.
“He is one of the greats of the game. He is a match-winner who is equally good in all formats of the game," he said.
"So I rate him as high as all those great fast bowlers who played the game in the 1980s and 1990s. He is as good as anybody who has played this game."
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Rituraj Borkakoty
Rituraj Borkakoty is Sports Editor and has spent more than two decades writing on his sporting heroes. He also loves an underdog story, so if you have one, share it with him. He would love to bring it to life.
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