'Jasprit Bumrah Learnt Slower Balls From Me': Pakistan-Born Pacer Makes Stunning Claim
Pakistan-born UAE bowler Zahoor Khan made a startling claim that he helped Jasprit Bumrah develop his slow deliveries.
Pakistan-born UAE bowler Zahoor Khan made a startling claim that he helped Jasprit Bumrah develop his slow deliveries. In a video going viral on social media, Zahoor said that he taught Bumrah how to bowl slower balls with no changes to his bowling action during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2019. Zahoor recalled that he was a net bowler with Mumbai Indians in the UAE leg of the competition and that is where Bumrah discussed the bowling technique with him. Zahoor pointed out that Bumrah bowled slower deliveries at that point, but he helped the India star in developing his technique.
“Let me tell you a story. Bumrah used to bowl slower balls before, but with normal action. In one of the matches in Abu Dhabi, he, Trent Boult, and Nathan Coulter-Nile conceded a lot of runs. The IPL was happening in September that year. In September, in the UAE, it's 50 degrees. It's very hot. You can't even hold the ball properly at night because it gets wet.”
“So Mumbai Indians called me, I did quarantine for 6 days, went to practice on the 7th day. I was with the team that night. Zaheer Khan and Robin Singh knew me because I did a maiden over in T10 league. I bowled the first one yorker and next five deliveries were slower ones. So we were sitting together, Bumrah came and sat in front of the table, Rohit Sharma came and sat there, I was sitting there, I was watching,” Zahoor said in the video.
Zahoor said that the Mumbai Indians team management was aware of his slower deliveries due to his performances in T10. He recalled having a long conversation with Bumrah and even bowling in the nets with the India star pacer.
“I said, in the same action, in the same grip. He said, how is this possible? I said, I'll tell you in practice. He said, okay you have to tell me your grip in the next practice. I said, okay. When the practice came, I was bowling. Shane Bond was the bowling coach of Mumbai Indians. And Mahela Jayawardene was standing behind the nets. So I came and did a slower bouncer. It beat the batsman. Shane Bond said, what is your grip? Do you bowl off-cutters? I said, no, it's the same grip.”
“He said show me, I threw it like this and then two or three slower balls. So he told Jayawardene that this is a new thing in cricket. He said, ‘Look how good he bowls the slower balls, in the same action and arm speed. So after a day or two, I was bowling with Bumrah. So he said, Paaji, what is your grip, show me. So I showed him, it's the same. I threw it like this, it has to come in the same action. So he bowled and said, 'this is the next level thing.' I mean, I'm a player for UAE right now and he's a world-class bowler. So I really liked that thing that he's such a big star and he was asking me,” he concluded.
Jasprit Bumrah