‘We realised he was our wildcard that would play for India for very long time..': Cheteshwar Pujara on his early memories of Jasprit Bumrah

Indian Express

21-07-2025

Even though India lost the Lord's Test against England last week, the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy saw the 31-year-old Indian pacer taking his 13th five-for in Tests overseas with the five-wicket haul in England first innings breaking Kapil Dev's earlier record of most five-for by an Indian bowlers in overseas Tests. While Bumrah, who has played in 47 Tests, has a total of 217 wickets in his Test career, Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has recalled how he saw Bumrah as 'India's wildcard' early in pacer's career.
'It was on his first tour of England in 2018 when he went up another level as a bowler. By the time we went to Australia the following winter we realised he was our wildcard that would play for India for a very long time. He was instrumental as we won in Australia for the first time. You may remember on that tour of England a hooping inswinger he bowled to Keaton Jennings who was out lbw without playing a shot. England's batters just could not read his swing and, using the Dukes ball for the first time, when he got it to move, it moved a long way.If I had bowled a ball like that one to Jennings I would have been running around celebrating and talking about it for ages. Jasprit stayed cool and didn't ever brag. He just gets on with the next delivery,' Pujara wrote in his column of BBC Sport.
After making his debut in IPL, Bumrah would first break into the Indian test team in South Africa in 2018. The then 25-year-old would end with four wickets in the Cape Town Test in the series. Pujara, who was playing in the Test match which India lost by 72 runs, recalled how he had first faced Bumrah in a club match long before he played in IPL and for India. The Saurashtra batsman also shared how Bumrah was unlike any other bowler due to his unique action and was quicker than Mohammad Shami. 'Throughout the following years he began to make his name in the Indian Premier League but before he played his first Test in Cape Town in South Africa in 2018, there were still a lot of question marks around him in India. His action was unique, people questioned whether he would be able to swing the red ball or if he had the consistency and control for the longer format. He may have only taken four wickets in that first Test but he answered all of those questions. I remember standing at first slip with Virat Kohli next to me at second and Shikhar Dhawan at third. We were all saying how it just felt unlike any of the other bowlers. We had Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya playing in that game but again he felt different. Shami was quick but Bumrah was quicker,' Pujara wrote further.
Bumrah's 13 th five-for in overseas Tests came in 35 overseas Tests while Kapil Dev had made the earlier record of 12 five-for in overseas Tests in 66 overseas Tests for India. Bumrah, who will be featuring in the Manchester Test, currently has 49 wickets in 11 Tests in England. With Wasim Akram currently holds the record of an Asian bowler with most number of Test wickets in England with a tally of 53 wickets in 14 Test matches in England. Pujara would also talk about how the Indian pacer is a keen observer of the game even while sitting in the dressing room. 'In the dressing room he is always watching the game. Most fast bowlers come off the field and relax with their feet up. He does relax but he always has an eye on the field. When I used to sit next to him he would always be giving an input on what our batters or the opposition could be doing differently, which is why he was viewed as a candidate to be captain before India appointed Shubman Gill. Most people talk about Bumrah's skills with the ball, his angle or his action but his biggest strength is often overlooked. He has a brilliant cricket brain which comes from his time in the IPL. There he worked with people like former Sri Lanka bowler Lasith Malinga and has gained the skills to outsmart a batter.
His first instinct is always to bowl his best ball but if a batter gets in he knows all of their strengths and weaknesses. He has taken the skills from white-ball cricket to become the complete Test bowler,' Pujara wrote.
The Indian batsman also recalled how Bunch had helped him get to a hundred in the fourth Test against England at Southampton during the 2018 England series. Puraja and Bumrah had added 46 for the last wicket as Pujara completed his hundred and remained unbeaten on 132 runs. 'One of my favourite moments on that England tour in 2018 came in Southampton when Jasprit helped me get through to a hundred in the first innings. I was on 96 when he came out at number 11 and I have to admit I did not think I would get there but he walked in and said 'I will defend. I don't know if I will survive but I will do my best. I ended up finishing on 132 not out as we put on 46 for the last wicket. That day sums him up because whether batting or bowling he is a very competitive cricketer. When it comes to his bowling, no matter the situation of the game, he always wants and believes he can get a wicket. Ultimately, he is the perfect team man,' wrote Pujara.