Kolkata, March 1 Jasprit Bumrah is the "Sachin Tendulkar" of Indian bowling.
Undeniably, for India's greatest fast bowler across formats, the only aspect where one cannot compare him with Tendulkar is perhaps longevity. Tendulkar played international cricket for 24 years, starting at the age of 16, while Bumrah might play for 10 years less.
They (Tendulkar and Bumrah) were practitioners of different "art" forms. But in terms of sheer impact, cricketing intelligence, supreme control over one's craft, and, last but not least, performing on the big stage, Bumrah has no peers.
There is another big similarity for those who have seen Tendulkar in his earlier days and Bumrah now go through their routines before big games. Tendulkar, after a certain point, didn't use to bat against Indian bowlers in the nets. Gary Kirsten or Raghu would either provide him with hundreds of throwdowns.
Similarly, Bumrah would bowl a few deliveries to the batters, but his practice sessions are always about his plans and what exactly he wants to bowl.
Recently, before the game against South Africa in Motera, the batters were practicing at the centre wicket, while Bumrah went to the nets outside the main arena and was perfecting his short-pitched deliveries, keeping Morne Morkel's size 12 trainers close to the base of the stumps.
As he was bowling, his new ball partner in Tests, Mohammed Siraj, jokingly said: "Jassi bhai, you'd wake you up at 2 am, and you'd still be in the same place."
These are casual statements, but they convey a teammate's reverence for his senior partner. Bumrah is indeed one of a kind.
Bumrah laughed and continued with his routine until he regularly hit the length where Morkel's sneaker was kept, and it got damaged.
He doesn't always need to win the "Player of the Match" award, but by scanning through the scorecards of any of India's marquee games, Bumrah has set the stage for emphatic Indian wins. At times, his teammates have complemented him, and at times, they haven't.
But in this edition of the T20 World Cup, none of the other Indian players have been able to create the kind of magic moments that the genial star from Ahmedabad has created.
Whether it was the toe crusher that got Saim Ayub of Pakistan or the way he shook Ryan Rickleton with a perfect delivery that tailed in and missed the outside edge of his bat, deviating off the surface. And then bowling a slower delivery which had him rooted to the crease and lobbing it off at mid-off.
Or for that matter, on Sunday against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens, where he could have had Roston Chase twice in a single game. First, he hurried the batter into mistiming an aerial shot which Abhishek Sharma spilled. The second time was when he quickly changed to an off-break grip without any visible change to his arm-speed. This time, Chase was gone.
Leave aside Netherlands and Namibia, Bumrah has bowled 32 dot balls in four games against full Test members, which is an average of eight dot balls per game.
At times, Bumrah seems like that puppeteer, with an invisible thread wrapped around his fingers, and the batters are dancing to his tunes.
And think about it, a few months back in 2025, people questioned his commitment when he played only three Tests in England. His only "fault" was that he didn't make a fuss after going on the tour, and he was clear that his body could only take the rigours of three games in the UK.
But his commitment was questioned, and he was heavily criticised. People forgot that six months prior to that, he played all five Tests on hard Australian grounds where the feet takes double the pounding. He bowled and bowled till his lower back gave up.
He missed the Champions Trophy and played the IPL, and familiar voices cropped up that "No one wants to miss the IPL gravy train".
But would the same voices question Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins' commitment towards Australia with both missing the T20 World Cup due to injuries, and could they be available for the IPL?
If one watches Bumrah from close quarters and talks to people who know him a bit, he is an extremely secure individual, who wouldn't care two hoots about how people perceive him.
He has an invisible net around him and very few people can pierce through that. One may try to peel off the layers, but he won't give away an inch, just like the lengths he bowls to the world's leading batters, who can't manoeuvre at their whims and fancies.
He is a man who wouldn't leave Ahmedabad for the world. Mumbai might have its own charm, but Ahmedabad is his peace nest. Here he can drop off his infant son to play school without prying eyes looking at him, and may be drive off to the pickleball court with his close friends for a couple of games in the wee hours of night.
His fragile body didn't allow the national selectors to make him a long-term captain, but he is a leader within the group for showing the way how to win games.
Jasprit Bumrah practices a complex art, but he is a simple man at heart. He is a tribe in his own.
