Dear Jasprit Bumrah,
Let’s roll the clock back by a year, shall we? Or let’s say five months, maybe? There was a buzz in the echelons of Indian cricket. There was a murmur that was sweeping through the hearts of the Indian fans, leaving them petrified and kind of disappointed. Another burning star in the skies of Indian fast bowling fails to fly was the headlines that shone bright in the Indian newspapers.
But then there was always hope. Hope that there will not just be one Javagal Srinath rising from his own ashes but a certain Bumrah will return too. Maybe not that effective but even if he is capable of bowling at least two or three yorkers in a spell of ten overs, that’s kind of a win-win. That is how good you were. Fans were already on the lookout for the next ace quick. Siraj did well and continues to do well. Shami is heading slowly to his twilight. So who’s next?
I believe that the injury that you suffered was also the final blow to your fast-bowling career. Another Bumrah did come back. But that certainly wasn’t the one whom we knew. That was Jasprit Bumrah 2.0. The man whom the world probably had seen for the first time.
Starting off on a slower note, you started spewing venom as toxic as that of Black Mamba. You were consuming entire batting galaxies like a black hole that was never snapped by JWST. You were toppling kingdoms like Alexander the Great never did. This is a Bumrah that was meant to epitomise the art of fast bowling.
You know Jassi, we Indians, we have always dreamt of our own Whispering Deaths and what not. We have always desired for our own rockets that would rage through the opposition batting, no matter who was at the other end. We Indians always wanted to see pace and swing in the same breath. Srinath came close and so did Zak. However, you leapfrogged them all.
From the very days when Kapil Dev revolutionized the art of fast bowling in the Indian threads to the current ones where your name sends down shivers down the spine of the opposition. India have come a long way. Neerav Ghosh’s midwicket tales is still to come out with the latest episode of you being the Indian pace spearhead. Jassi, you have lightyears to go ahead of you. It’s time, sire. Accept the crown.
Yours sincerely,
A crazy cricket fan
