'What will he do': When Virat Kohli brushed away Parthiv Patel's suggestion to try Jaspit Bumrah for RCB

Jasprit Bumrah is currently one of the best pacers in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Mumbai Indians (MI) fast bowler has been one of the most prolific wicket-takers in the league over the years and has been delivering brilliant performances with the ball consistently for the five-time champions.

Bumrah, who made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in the year 2013, has come a long way and has established his credentials as one of the best in the world. Bumrah might have made his IPl debut in the year 2013 but he got to play only two matches that season.

Bumrah enjoyed a breakthrough season in IPL 2016 where he played regularly for Mumbai Indians and ended up with 15 wickets in 14 matches. He has never looked back since and is currently an integral member of the Indian pace attack across all formats as well.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

However, Bumrah could have ended up at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and not Mumbai Indians had former RCB skipper Virat Kohli listened to his former RCB teammate Parthiv Patel's advice back in 2014. Parthiv, who used to captain Gujarat at the time in domestic cricket, had seen Bumrah play and rated the youngster highly.

Also Read:Holder to Stoinis: Overseas stars who will miss Lucknow Super Giants vs Gujarat Titans clash in IPL 2022

Parthiv was part of the RCB squad in the IPL back then and suggested to Kohli that he should try Bumrah for the franchise. However, Kohli didn't take his advice seriously and brushed off the suggestion saying that players like Bumrah can't do much for the team.

“In 2014, when I was at RCB, I told Kohli there’s this bowler named Bumrah. Have a look at him. Virat replied saying ‘Chhor na yaar. Ye Bumrah-Vumrah kya karenge?’ (Leave it. What will such players do?),” Parthiv told Cricbuzz.

Also Read:Krunal Pandya, Deepak Hooda to feature? Lucknow Super Giants' predicted playing XI for GT clash

When Bumrah broke into the Gujarat Ranji side, he was mentored by Parthiv in the initial years. The former RCB wicket-keeper batter revealed Bumrah struggled to make an impression early in his career but worked hard to stand where he is today.

“When he was first picked, Bumrah played Ranji Trophy for the first 2-3 years. 2013 was his first year, and he didn't have a good season in 2014. In 2015, it was so bad that there were discussions going on that he might have to be sent back home mid-season. But, he slowly began improving and Mumbai Indians really backed him. It was his own hard work and such backing that really brought out the best in him,” Parthiv added.

Bumrah has so far played 107 matches for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and has 130 wickets to his name at anaverage of 23.37. He was retained by Mumbai Indians for a sum of Rs 12 crore (INR 120 million) ahead of the ongoing season.