In Test cricket, 2018 was a defining moment for Jasprit Bumrah. He made his debut in the first Test series of the year, against South Africa, and finished the year with 48 wickets in just nine matches. That year, he was India’s leading Test wicket-taker and fourth-best overall.
However, there was one instance in which Bumrah failed to live up to expectations, leaving then-India skipper Virat Kohli furious before being advised to leave him alone by senior fast bowler Ishant Sharma.
Sharma recognised early on that Bumrah possessed leadership qualities and would quickly become the spearhead of India’s attack. The 105-Test veteran admitted that he was aware of Bumrah’s ability to judge situations as well as his maturity.
I knew a day would come when Bumrah would become a leader: Ishant Sharma
When Kohli was upset at Bumrah after a poor spell in one of the Test matches in Australia during the 2018/19 series, Ishan stopped the skipper from speaking with him, as he recalled in his conversation with Cricbuzz on the first episode of ‘Rise of New India’.
“I knew a day would come when Bumrah would become a leader. I remember in 2018 when we were playing a Test match in Australia and his first spell did not go well. Virat told me ‘I think I should go and speak to him’. I said ‘ He is a very smart bowler. He understands it. Usko chhor de. Usko pata hai kya karna, kya nehi karna (Leave him alone. He knows what he needs to do). In that way, he is very smart. He understands the game and he understands the situation.’ When you understand the situation, especially in Test cricket, you can make a comeback very quickly,” he said.
Bumrah finished the series as the best bowler with 21 wickets in four matches, including a five-wicket haul, as India won a historic Test series in Australia. Meanwhile, Bumrah is out of the Indian team owing to an injury in his back.
