BGT 2024-25: With this bowling action, many thought I’ll last maximum 6-7 months, reveals Jasprit Bumrah

Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah revealed that he never got formal coaching while growing up and learnt everything about the game on television. Bumrah also stated that when he had started, many thought he would last not more than six-seven months. Bumrah made his international debut in 2016 and soon became a regular in white-ball before making his Test debut in 2018. At present, he remains an integral part of India's lineup across formats and is the vice-captain in the longest format.

During the second Test between India and Australia, in the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), Bumrah told Fox Cricket, "I started my cricket quite late. I was not a tearaway quick because at six, seven, I didn’t play cricket. I started cricket with the season ball probably at 16, 17. So I watched the television and picked up cricket. I’d got no formal coaching ever."

"So I learned everything through the television and, you know, somehow picked up cues and kept on finding my own solutions. So that’s worked with me till date that, you know, I come into a setup. I rely on my own instincts and gut. So yeah, that’s how I picked up."

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'Don’t think a lot of people believed in me, they thought this bowling action would not last for long'

Bumrah further shared, "When I used to play cricket as a youngster, there used to be benches over there. So I couldn’t go any further than that. So I couldn’t go through that. So that was the limit that we had. So we used to keep it as a boundary. So I used to run in from there. So when I came into serious cricket, I tried to run more. Initially, I did run a lot more, but it used to have no difference to my pace. It used to stay the same."

"So at that time, I thought, okay, might as well conserve some energy tobowl faster for a long period. So I had this and it did, it made no difference to my bowling. So I thought I’d keep it with me. I don’t think a lot of people believed in me because they thought that this bowling action will not last for long. He’ll play for six months, seven months. So not really a lot of people worked on me or, you know, gave me inputs that, you know, I think this is useful or you should stop doing that because. I don’t think they saw a lot of merit."

“I think that worked out in my favour becauseI was self-reliant then and I had to have a lot of self-belief and find out solutions on my own. So yes, nobody tried to change me, but nobody gave any extra solutions. So that worked out for the best in the greater interest, but then that helped me develop, you know, relying on yourself and having self-belief. So I think that worked out brilliantly for me," Bumrah added.

Bumrah is currently involved in the five-match Test series between India and Australia in Australia. He led India in the series openerin Perthand ended as the Player-of-the-Match for his match figures of 8 for 72. AfterIndia's loss in the second TestatAdelaide, the 31-year-old would be eager to stage his side's bounce back in 2024/25 BGT.