Having Jasprit Bumrah is like having a cheat code. You hand him the new ball, ask him to play the ball in the middle of an over, or bowl him a high-risk over at the death – and he rarely disappoints. England and New Zealand experienced it firsthand in the semi-finals and final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20, a trophy that Bumrah helped India win on March 8 with a rousing spell of 4/15 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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The star Indian fast bowler ended the tournament as the joint highest wicket-taker at a ridiculous economy of 6.21. Not only did Bumrah take wickets and stop runs, he did so in the toughest possible overs whenever he was called upon to bowl for India. Most of his wickets came from a series of slower deliveries – a weapon he used repeatedly, perhaps more than at any other point in his career. This variation became central to his success in the tournament and we will return to it in detail later.
In this story, we look at the execution of this van – how it works, how it differs from others and how it came to be. To understand this, we go back to Jasprit Bumrah’s origins – the action, the coaching decision behind it and the exceptional ability to deliver the right ball under pressure.
ORIGIN OF JASPRITA BUMRAH’S ACTIVITIES
To find Bumrah, we have to travel to the outskirts of Ahmedabad, to the coaching center of a 79-year-old man — Kishore Trivedi. Bumrah arrived at the doorstep of the coach’s academy because he was a bit naughty, sometimes unruly and his mother wanted him to channelize some of that energy.
At 16, when Bumrah first entered Trivedi’s academy, he didn’t take his cricket particularly seriously. A tall, lanky pitcher with an incredibly unorthodox action would be a strict no-no for most traditional coaches.
Extremely short run-up — to call it run-up is a luxury. It was almost a walk until the last three steps. His body position was too stiff rather than relaxed. A hyperextended elbow caused many to believe he dropped the ball. His left hand would come right in front of him, almost blocking the batsman’s view. His wrist position appeared one-dimensional, often leading to his feet slipping under, suggesting a natural lean. And his release point, far in front of his head, was about as unconventional as it could get. Bumrah’s yorker was a treat to watch (Courtesy: AP)
Athletic trainers often work from a coaching manual — proper grip, proper stance, proper run, proper arm swing, proper wrist position. In 2009, most coaches in India could have said to Bumrah: What is going on here? You need to learn how to bowl a proper fast bowler.
According to conventional coaching wisdom, head coach Kishore Trivedi could have easily tried to rebuild Bumrah’s action from scratch in the first few weeks at the academy. Fortunately for India, he had the foresight to throw the template in the dustbin.
“He’s always been like that. The kids told me his behavior was weird and that he was throwing the ball away. I watched him for a week and I figured his behavior was fine. I told myself his behavior was fine and he should never change it.” I told him batsmen don’t read your action and this is your main weapon,” Trivedi told India Today over phone from Ahmedabad.
“Imagine if I had changed his action? He would have wavered with his line and length and thus lost his confidence. His action was natural. This strangeness came naturally to him,” he said.
“Any traditional coach would have asked him to bowl closer to his ears or change his release point, but I didn’t care. I let him go,” added the 79-year-old.
In an old video, Bumrah once said that his act might have been shaped by watching too many bowlers on television. Maybe one night when he was dreaming of playing cricket with his friends, he quit mixing several actions together in his head – a short run-up like Wasim Akram, a strong front foot brace like Brett Lee and an extended wrist, ready to release the ball.
But the rhythm and control didn’t come naturally. You had to stand up.
When Bumrah first trained under Trivedi, his pace alone scared the other kids in the academy. Like most young fast bowlers, his favorite was the bouncer – a ball designed to intimidate batsmen. Because his release point was well in front of his head, unlike other pacers who release the ball more vertically, Bumrah’s deliveries often reached the bat a bit quicker.
“When he came in, his confidence was noticeable. He bowled well and bounced quickly. He used to have a lot of bouncers. But over time he learned accuracy – stump to stump. Once accuracy arrived, I taught him the yorker and then he learned the art of swinging the ball,” Trivedi said.
“He was naturally a swing bowler and later learned how to throw the ball away from the batsman,” he added.
Trivedi kept Bumrah’s action intact and only worked on his skills. First, he asked the young pacer to develop a reliable stock ball – one that would land at a good length and threaten the top of the off-stump. Then came yorkers, then slower balls and then the ability to swing the ball both ways.
“It was a strange action. His left hand was falling in front of his eyes. But why is it a problem when he bowls well? I think other coaches would have changed his release position and his arm angle. But I didn’t. As long as he was troubling the batsmen, I didn’t mind,” Trivedi said.
JASPRITA BUMRAH’S EVENT LAYOUT
UK fast bowling coach Stuart Barnes, who works with county cricketers, explained in one of his Instagram videos that if one were to dissect Bumrah’s action and freeze the moment just before release, his body biomechanics actually resemble those of most fast bowlers.
Barnes believes the action looks unusual mainly because Bumrah comes in slowly before suddenly delivering the ball at 145 kmph.
“If the result – the delivery – is good and the action is sound, even though it might be different, I’m excited about it. Because the difference is good. It can mess with the batter’s timing – their swing back, their footwork, their triggers,” Barnes told India Today.
But what exactly is a bad action?
“The things I look for are the direction the pitcher is running. Are they running toward the target? Are they upright? How are they moving? What is the action telling me about their movement? Are they moving well? Are they running well? And are they sound in the action?”
“The unhealthy action is generally a deflection, as well as a sideways tilt — like a fall at the release point,” he added.
According to Barnes, Bumrah has none of these problems.
In the early days of Bumrah’s career, many former fast bowlers doubted whether he would last. With such a short run-up, some believed his back would eventually collapse under the demands of international cricket.
Yes, injuries did happen. But after a decade of international cricket, Bumrah remains the best fast bowler of his generation – and perhaps one of the best bowlers the game has seen.
And at the 2026 T20 World Cup, this entire system of deception – unusual action, delayed moment of release and reduced reaction time – has combined into one devastating weapon: Bumrah’s slower ball.
MAGIC SLOW BALL
As mentioned earlier, one of Jasprit Bumrah’s biggest weapons in the T20 World Cup final was the slower ball – or rather the family of slower balls.
In modern T20 cricket, the slower delivery is the main option for almost every pacer. But the difference is that while many bowlers attempt this, Bumrah does it with much more control and has several variations of it.
Take Matt Henry for example. In his opening spell of the final, he didn’t waste much time resorting to slower balls. The same was true for Lockie Ferguson. However, the difference between them and Bumrah was striking. Henry conceded an economy of 12, Lockie 24, while Bumrah’s was a staggering 3.75.
It would not be far-fetched to say that what Bumrah performed in the semi-final and final bordered on witchcraft.
Against England, he lunged for a knife and ran his fingers over the ball. The second variation came with a slight flick of the wrist that made the ball spin from left to right while keeping the axis straight – much like a baseball pitch.
Not only did he mix up the pace, these deliveries were also bowled at different lengths, confusing the batsmen.
Throughout the semi-finals and finals, no one could read it.
In the final against New Zealand, Bumrah started with slower deliveries on the pitch and then gradually got fuller and fuller until he eventually headed into the block hole.
In both games, Bumrah took wickets with his very first ball – slower deliveries to Harry Brook and Rachin Ravindra.
His decisive spells at the death eventually sealed both matches.
So where does this slower ball come from? Why is it so effective?
Part of this comes from his unusual behavior. Part of that comes from his remarkable ability to read the game.
When Stuart Barnes was asked to explain this, his voice was full of admiration.
“He hides his variations so well because he has a slower ramp than normal. That can really mess with the batter’s timing.
“He’s got some amazing knives. He doesn’t necessarily cut the pitch, but he has a variation of speed. So his deception is airspeed, not necessarily how the ball reacts off the surface.”
“He has a unique action – we all know that. And because he releases the ball so far in front of the crease, it shortens the reaction time from release to the moment he reaches the shot.”
“Batters will do their homework on Jasprit Bumrah, as they would on any bowler. But he is an absolute expert – a genius – at making decisions and changing the delivery late in his action, while still executing it perfectly.”
“Where he is now, at the top of his game, is no accident. It would have been designed. He would have trained for it years ago. It’s repetition. It’s purposeful exercise. It’s the work he put in when no one else was looking.”
“He hides his variations so well. A lot of it is just that he’s great at execution – the line, the length, the feel of the release from his fingers. He’s an absolute joy to watch. It’s almost like you know what’s coming, but the batsmen can’t do anything about it because his execution is so good.”
THE GENIUS OF KISHORE TRIVEDI
And therein lies perhaps the true genius of Kishore Trivedi. At a small coaching center in Ahmedabad, in an era largely devoid of video analysis, he realized that Bumrah didn’t need to change his actions at all. Instead, he needed repetition – throwing his best balls over and over again.
Even during the 2026 T20 World Cup, Bumrah often practiced alone under the supervision of bowling coach Morne Morkel. The two decide what to work on and Bumrah executes it in the nets. If the pacer was satisfied with his performance – even if it was just 12 balls – he would walk away from the nets.
What started as a side event at a small academy in Ahmedabad has now become one of the most iconic bowling styles in world cricket. Kishore Trivedi’s decision to keep Bumrah’s action intact allowed the fast bowler to build the game on his natural strengths.
Years later, with batsmen around the world still struggling to pick his variations, the decision continues to pay off.
An event that once seemed outlandish now features one of the most feared slower balls in cricket – bowled by perhaps the most reliable fast bowler India has ever produced.
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Published on:
March 11, 2026 10:15 AM IST
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