Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra praised gun fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for his invaluable contribution in taking India to glory in the T20 World Cup 2026. The ace pacer was at his absolute best and delivered in crunch situations for the team.
Bumrah bagged 14 wickets in eight matches of the tournament at an average of 12.43 and returned with figures of 4-15 in the final against New Zealand. Furthermore, he bagged 1-33 in his quota of four overs against England in the semifinal clash.
Chopra said Bumrah is the Don Bradman of bowling after the former’s heroics in the tournament.
“I am going to start with Jasprit Bumrah for the simple reason that he is the Bradman of bowling. How can someone be so consistent? How can someone be so flawless? You call him a genius, and I hear only Bumrah. The guy never has an off day,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
The renowned commentator praised Bumrah for bamboozling the New Zealand batters with slower deliveries in the final.
“He picked up four wickets in this game. Generally, the BrahMos goes at a fast pace and blows away the base, but he said he would do something different this time. He said he had gotten bored bowling fast. He dismissed four players by rolling his fingers. He took four wickets in a T20I for the first time,” he observed.
Bumrah had an economy rate of 6.21 in T20 World Cup 2026, which was the best for any bowler in the competition. The former Delhi cricketer praised Bumrah for his brilliance as he feels batters have gone into survival mode.
“It seems like the ball listens to him. He bowls the ball and asks it to pitch and move wherever he wants. I saw a stat. Against his length balls and slot deliveries, people have a strike rate of 80 and 75, respectively. You know why? People are scared. People have gone into survival mode,” he said.
“They are thinking about how to escape. They are not thinking at all that they can hit as well. They are not lifting the bat at all, or else how can a four not be hit off slot balls? In this game, he said that he will only become the Player of the Match. People’s time comes, Bumrah’s era is ongoing,” Chopra observed.
Bumrah will play for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026.
