Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the loss of England’s Jacob Bethell. (Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis heaped praise on India’s pace leader Jasprit Bumrah after the fast bowler’s crucial spell helped India beat England by seven runs in the semi-final of the Men’s World T20 at the Wankhede Stadium.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Dubbing Bumrah as a match-winner across formats, Du Plessis said having him in the team was “like having a genie”.India had earlier amassed a massive 253/7 on Sanju Samson’s stunning 42-ball 89. But England threatened to catch up thanks to Jacob Bethell’s sensational hundred.
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With England needing 45 runs from the last three overs and pace on their side, the match took a dramatic turn when captain Suryakumar Yadav handed the ball to Bumrah for the crucial 18th over.In a game where the bowlers were battered all over the park, Bumrah conceded just six runs, effectively turning the tide. England eventually finished on 246/7 and, despite Bethell’s 105, went down agonizingly.In an interview on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut, du Plessis said India may not fully realize how lucky they are to have a bowler like Bumrah.
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“The Indian team doesn’t understand how lucky they are to have him in their ranks,” said du Plessis. “It’s just been proven time and time again, no matter the format – just give him the ball and he’ll win your games.”“It’s a superpower that every captain will dream of. It’s like having a genie – just rub a lamp and Bumrah comes out,” he added.Du Plessis pointed out that even Bumrah’s occasional errors become difficult for batsmen to exploit due to his unique action and late release.“He knows it’s going to be full – a yorker or a slower ball. He bowled two low full deliveries in that one and both times Sam Curran was late in the ball. Every other bowler who misses that length is a six,” he explained.“He has such a unique action that it’s hard to predict how fast the ball will come off his wrist. That mystery makes him very difficult to field.”Bumrah finished with figures of 1/33 from four overs in a match that produced a staggering 499 runs. As India prepares for the final against New Zealand, the hopes of billions of fans once again rest on their ‘ball genie’.
