India bowler Jasprit Bumrah revealed that he had no formal training growing up and learned everything from watching cricket on television.
“I started cricket late. I wasn’t in tears early because at six, seven, I don’t play cricket,” he told Fox Cricket.
“I started cricket with season ball at maybe 16, 17. So I watched television and picked up cricket. I have not received any formal training.
“So I learned everything through television and, you know, somehow picked up the cues and kept finding my own solutions. So that’s worked with me to this day, you know, I’ve come to set up. I rely on my instincts and my gut. So yeah, that’s how I picked it up.”
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Bumrah opens up about his short bowling run-up.
“When I played cricket as a child, there were benches. So I could not go further than that. So I couldn’t get past that. So that was our limit,” he said.
“So we put it as a boundary. So I ran from there. So when I came to serious cricket, I tried to score more runs. At first I ran a lot, but my speed didn’t change. It remained the same.
IND vs AUS: Jasprit Bumrah took his 50th Test wicket of the year in Adelaide on his birthday on Friday. (AP)
“So at that time I thought, well, might as well save some energy to bowl for a long time. So I had it and it did, it didn’t make any difference to my bowling. So I thought I’d keep it with me.”
Bumrah explained why none of India’s coaches tried to change his bowling action.
“I don’t think many people believed me because they thought this bowling action would not last long. He will play for six months, seven months.
“So not really a lot of people worked on me or, you know, gave me inputs, you know, I think it’s helpful or you should stop doing that. I don’t think they saw much merit.
“I think it worked in my favor because. I was independent then and I had a lot of self-confidence and had to find solutions on my own. So yes, no one tried to change me, but no one gave any additional solutions.
“So it worked out for the greater good, but it helped me develop, you know, self-reliance and self-confidence. So I think it worked out great for me.”