Jasprit Bumrah recalls incident of hitting Mitchell Johnson on the helmet during a net session

What’s the story?

During a Mumbai Indians practice session in IPL 2013, a young Jasprit Bumrah ran in and delivered a nasty bouncer to Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson which hit him on the helmet.

After MI’s comprehensive win over KKR in the 2^nd Qualifier of IPL 2017, Johnson conducted a mock interview of Bumrah where he asked the youngster to shed light on the incident from 2013.

“Usually, when you are coming out of U-19 cricket, you think you have pace, so you try to experiment it on bowlers because, otherwise, you hit the batsmen, and they don’t like it. So I thought I’ll try something on the bowlers,” opined Bumrah.

In case you didn’t know...

Back in 2013, Bumrah had just stepped out of the U-19 circuit. He debuted in the IPL for Mumbai Indians in the same year and got the opportunity to rub shoulders with players from all around the world. He has learnt a lot while sharing the dressing room with the likes of Lasith Malinga, Johnson and co.

In the 2^nd Qualifier of IPL 2017, Bumrah bowled brilliantly, ending with figures of 3-1-7-3. The forthcoming grand finale of IPL 2017 will be Bumrah’s third appearance in the finals and Johnson’s second.

The heart of the matter

When Bumrah asked Johnson about the bouncer, the Aussie stated that it was a very good ball and that he was thoroughly impressed with the youngster from day one. He further went on to say that Bumrah had come a long way since 2013 and that he [Johnson] was left fascinated by the Indian’s performances in this edition of the IPL.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians have been in terrific form this season and the reason for that is their resourceful squad. Mumbai have quality players in the starting XI and adequate replacements in every department.

What’s next?

The Mumbai Indians will battle it out against the Rising Pune Supergiant for the title in Hyderabad on 20^th May, Sunday. The two-time champions will look to go all out against RPS, who, on the other hand, would be keen to clinch their maiden IPL trophy.

It will be the two sides’ fourth encounter this season with RPS winning all three of the previous meetings.

Author’s Take

Bumrah has grown immensely in the last few years. He has been the ‘go to’ bowler in the death overs for all the teams he has played for, be it domestic or international. The skiddy pacer has shown great consistency and his assessment of the various wickets on offer in the tournament along with the variations he possesses have proven to be a deadly combination.

A lot is expected from the fast bowler in the IPL finals as well as the Champions Trophy beginning next month.