MUMBAI: He is used to terrorising batters with his lethal yorkers, bouncers, and swinging deliveries at good pace. But Jasprit Bumrah , arguably the best fast bowler in world cricket at the moment, doesn't fear bowling to any batsman in the game.
"I don’t really fear anyone. Of course, I do respect the game and every individual who plays it. But if I give the mental edge to the batter — that I’m scared of him, or that he’s better than me — then I’ve already lost the battle. So even if I’ve had a bad day, or if I’ve gone for runs, in my head and in my effort, nobody’s going to beat me. That’s what I’ve always learned to do. In cricket, you can’t control everything, and every day is not going to be your day. But if you do the processes right, believe in yourself, and give your absolute best, that’s what matters," Bumrah said at a promotional event here on Sunday, where the ace pacer was accompanied by Mumbai Indians teammates Will Jacks and Naman Dhir.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
"After that, whatever result comes your way, that was meant to be. So that's how I look at the game. I’ll give it my absolute best — and after that, I’ll accept the results," he added.
The Mumbai Indians pace spearhead, who recently etched his name in the record books during the IPL 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium — surpassing Sri Lankan and MI great Lasith Malinga to become the franchise’s highest wicket-taker in IPL history with a staggering 171 wickets — recalled a valuable piece of advice he received from cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on his IPL debut, way back on April 4, 2013, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then Bangalore) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
For the record, Bumrah, clearly bolstered by Tendulkar’s advice to "bowl to the batsman, not to the name," took 3 for 32 in four overs, dismissing Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli, and Mayank Agarwal — although MI lost that match by two runs.
"It wasn’t any technical advice that comes to mind, but I’ve learned a lot from many players. When I came here, Sachin Tendulkar was still playing — it was his last year. Initially, when a 19-year-old enters this atmosphere and sees such legends of the game, the level of cricket is so high and so different from under-19 cricket. I was a little overwhelmed. But when I played my first game, before the match began, he told me: ‘Don’t look at the individual. Bowl to the batsman, not to the name,’" recalled Bumrah at the Castrol event.
"That helped me a lot. I know they’re big players with big reputations, but at the end of the day, on the field, there’s just one individual facing you. That advice has stayed with me. Whenever I play a game or feel pressure, I remind myself — the other person is also under pressure. Treat it like a normal game. Don’t get too overawed by the reputation or any other circumstance beyond your control," he said.
Fighting back after a poor start to IPL 2025 — which saw them lose four of their first five matches — MI have now won six matches in a row. They are currently placed second on the points table with 14 points from 11 matches and appear well-poised for a spot in the playoffs.
Bumrah felt that MI had "peaked at the right time" and were not dependent on one individual to win games.
"We, as a team, started a bit slow. But ahead of the business end of the tournament, we’ve peaked at the right time. That’s a very good sign for us — we’re not dependent on one individual to win games. In every match, someone or the other has put their hand up and taken the team across the line. It’s a good start, and now that the business end has started, it’s going to get even more fierce. There are more exciting games ahead, and hopefully, better things will follow," said the fast bowler, who has taken a staggering 205 wickets in 45 Tests at an impressive average of 19.40.
"I don’t really fear anyone. Of course, I do respect the game and every individual who plays it. But if I give the mental edge to the batter — that I’m scared of him, or that he’s better than me — then I’ve already lost the battle. So even if I’ve had a bad day, or if I’ve gone for runs, in my head and in my effort, nobody’s going to beat me. That’s what I’ve always learned to do. In cricket, you can’t control everything, and every day is not going to be your day. But if you do the processes right, believe in yourself, and give your absolute best, that’s what matters," Bumrah said at a promotional event here on Sunday, where the ace pacer was accompanied by Mumbai Indians teammates Will Jacks and Naman Dhir.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
"After that, whatever result comes your way, that was meant to be. So that's how I look at the game. I’ll give it my absolute best — and after that, I’ll accept the results," he added.
The Mumbai Indians pace spearhead, who recently etched his name in the record books during the IPL 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium — surpassing Sri Lankan and MI great Lasith Malinga to become the franchise’s highest wicket-taker in IPL history with a staggering 171 wickets — recalled a valuable piece of advice he received from cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on his IPL debut, way back on April 4, 2013, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (then Bangalore) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
For the record, Bumrah, clearly bolstered by Tendulkar’s advice to "bowl to the batsman, not to the name," took 3 for 32 in four overs, dismissing Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli, and Mayank Agarwal — although MI lost that match by two runs.
"It wasn’t any technical advice that comes to mind, but I’ve learned a lot from many players. When I came here, Sachin Tendulkar was still playing — it was his last year. Initially, when a 19-year-old enters this atmosphere and sees such legends of the game, the level of cricket is so high and so different from under-19 cricket. I was a little overwhelmed. But when I played my first game, before the match began, he told me: ‘Don’t look at the individual. Bowl to the batsman, not to the name,’" recalled Bumrah at the Castrol event.
"That helped me a lot. I know they’re big players with big reputations, but at the end of the day, on the field, there’s just one individual facing you. That advice has stayed with me. Whenever I play a game or feel pressure, I remind myself — the other person is also under pressure. Treat it like a normal game. Don’t get too overawed by the reputation or any other circumstance beyond your control," he said.
Fighting back after a poor start to IPL 2025 — which saw them lose four of their first five matches — MI have now won six matches in a row. They are currently placed second on the points table with 14 points from 11 matches and appear well-poised for a spot in the playoffs.
Bumrah felt that MI had "peaked at the right time" and were not dependent on one individual to win games.
"We, as a team, started a bit slow. But ahead of the business end of the tournament, we’ve peaked at the right time. That’s a very good sign for us — we’re not dependent on one individual to win games. In every match, someone or the other has put their hand up and taken the team across the line. It’s a good start, and now that the business end has started, it’s going to get even more fierce. There are more exciting games ahead, and hopefully, better things will follow," said the fast bowler, who has taken a staggering 205 wickets in 45 Tests at an impressive average of 19.40.
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