Former South African fast bowler Vernon Philander has hailed Jasprit Bumrah as the most complete bowler in the world right now. The Indian gun fast bowler returned with figures of 9-91 in the second Test match against England at Vizag. The ace pacer bowled a terrific spell of 6-45 in the first innings on a flat track as he played a key role in skittling out England at 253.

Furthermore, Bumrah had bagged six wickets in the opening Test match at Hyderabad, including 4-41 in the second innings. Bumrah has scalped 29 wickets in six Test matches in home conditions at a splendid average of 13.06.

After his consistent performances, Bumrah became the first Indian pacer to reach the numero uno position in the ICC Test rankings.

“Bumrah is the (most) complete bowler at the moment. He has got magnificent skills and he has also learnt the trade of holding a line and length and that is the reason behind his success at the Test level,” Philander told ‘PTI Bhasha’ in an interview on the sidelines of the SA T20 Tournament.

“Initially, he wanted to bowl wicket-taking deliveries all the time and leaked runs but now he has learnt consistency,” Philander added.

Meanwhile, Philander feels Bumrah is going to play a key role in the T20 World Cup in June for the Indian team. Bumrah is known to deliver at both ends of an innings and he is going to be a pivotal cog in India’s squad.

“He swings the new ball, brings the stumps into the play, and challenges the batters upfront. He is phenomenal with those change-ups and lethal yorkers and that is the skill set you want in the T20 World Cup. I feel he is going to play a massive part in the tournament and perhaps also be the best seamer,” Philander said.

The third Test match between India and England will be played at Rajkot from 15th February onwards.